The sky was covered with a heavy gray cloth, and no matter how hard the wind stirred, it could not tear open a crack to meet the sun. The old, dark fences on the road are even more monotonous, cutting the light gray scene in the distance into long strips. The road was surrounded by mountains and forests. Two individuals leaned on the fence silently. One was a young teen in what appeared to be a school uniform with an intricate symbol on the left chest area, and an older man beside the teen that seemed to be in an unfavorable condition.


    The teen had never seen anyone with eyebags as dark and large as the older man’s. The man who looks to be in forties is wearing what appeared to be some sort of military uniform. He has a coat to keep him warm, brown pants, and worn-out boots.


    Across them was a carriage driver fussing over the broken carriage wheel. The elderly driver is muttering about the mess. He walked over to the back of the carriage and rummaged through a wooden chest. The young one had no idea in carriage maintenance, so he placed his attention on the stranger beside him.


    The stranger didn’t seem trapped by the eerily silent situation at all. He took out a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his long coat. Lionel Wesholm, who was thinking about how to break the awkward atmosphere, was distressed.


    “Uh…You’ve been standing here for quite a while, huh?”


    “...”


    Great, Lionel, just great.


    The stranger had been there for quite a while, he assumes. He was already there by the fence and witnessed their carriage break down.


    “Do you want a ride?”


    “...”


    Okay, not much of a talker.


    “That uniform…” The stranger suddenly spoke.


    Lionel snapped out of his thoughts and quickly faced the stranger, smiling out of politeness. “Yes?”


    “You’re from Wisiria Magic Academy.”


    “Yes sir, I’m a transfer student to be exact. It’s my first day actually, but…as you can see…” Lionel’s smile turns weak when his eyes land on the carriage.


    “I see.” The stranger replied simply, but continued with another question, “Do you know what the school is like?”


    What''s it like? Lionel answers easily, “It’s one of the most prestigious magic schools in the continent. Not many have the opportunity to attend such a school, let alone enter its grounds without being a student or staff. The Academy is well known for its students immediately entering the military upon graduation. Oh, and despite their reputation of being devoted followers of Goddess Adineas, they welcome anyone…well, as long as someone can get in.”


    “That’s correct.” His questioner smiled, “You’ve done your research.”


    “Well…” Lionel smiles sheepishly and scratches the back of his neck. “I prefer to know what kind of school I’m getting myself into.”


    “Hm, and why is that?”


    “I want to be a great mage, so I hoped to get into a school that can offer many opportunities to its students. Through research, I found that Wisiria is the school that aligns with my goal.”


    “A great mage, huh…” He grew silent once more and puffed out a smoke from his mouth. A few seconds later, he asks another question. “How did you get in? Enrollment period should be over by now…”


    “I got a scholarship.”


    “A scholarship…” The stranger trails off.


    “Is there something wrong?”


    “No, nothing.”


    Lionel chuckles, “I know, unbelievable, right? I think it’s a little bit late to get a scholarship and suddenly transfer schools at this time of the year.”


    “Indeed.”


    “...”


    “...”


    Okay, it’s back to square one in Awkward City…


    “Are you aware of the Psychological Mana Output Development Experiment by Dr. Auguste Gault? It was inspired by Hess Helminger’s Operational Youth Mana Experiment.”


    “...” Lionel suddenly felt uneasy. Why did the conversation suddenly shift into an unethical human experiment? Dr. Hess Helminger was an infamous mage and alchemist in the past. Despite being a weak mage, he was renowned for his potion brewery and creation of effective mana potions that help mages advance in their spellcasting.


    However, as time passed by, it was discovered that Helminger used harmful ingredients that cause deterioration, hallucinations and other negative symptoms. Potion production stopped, he was captured by the Guardian Council and he was taken in by the Sorcerer''s Court for investigation. He managed to weasel his way out of the law by feigning innocence and providing evidence of his unawareness of the side effects of the potion as the prototypes didn’t have such results.


    Several more court shenanigans that Lionel didn’t understand happened.


    Evidence here, evidence there, persuasive speech, witnesses, and whatever else Lionel can’t remember took place. Personally, if Lionel was the judge, he’d have slammed the hammer and sent the man off to chains forever.


    Because if that happened, then the Hess Helminger’s Experiment wouldn’t have happened.


    Helminger’s Experiment involved the use of his potions again. The consumers this time are younger children from ages seven to fifteen. Sickeningly enough, parents of these children volunteered to let their children participate in the experiment. It’s unbelievable to many at first, for parents insane enough to do this to their own flesh and blood. Unfortunately, there really are such people in the world.


    The mad alchemist had targeted ambitious and desperate parents with children that weren’t exactly talented in magic. That was what all the children had in common.


    They had low mana, low mana output and overall weak mana structure.


    To conduct his study, Helminger created a variety of his potions and had the children test each new creation. Those who had gotten sick even after several testings are considered failures and sent back to their families. Those who managed to tolerate his potions stayed.


    At the end, Helminger was able to formulate and brew a mana potion so effective that it had amplified the children’s mana by tenfold and the side effects were less. This was his weapon, a weapon that could revolutionize his country’s next generation into becoming mages of war. Who would need to train anymore? Who would need to spend years and years of effort to only gain fruitless results?


    After conducting this experiment, the children would engage in combat with naturally talented children outside of the experiment.


    This one week experiment presented the following results…


    The children were free to go back home and test their new strength on the field. Helminger anonymously arranged a magic duel in the guise of a friendly sparring match with famous nobles and their children.


    All matches ended in a bloodbath.


    Helminger’s children winning each one.


    Lionel remembered how he was about to throw up as he read the newspaper article regarding the match results. The only good thing was that no one had died, but Lionel uses the word ‘good’ loosely. The nobles’ children were traumatized, crippled, and mute.


    Helminger escaped after the matches.


    As for Helminger’s children, they were detained and sent to a juvenile facility to recover. The children and parents were questioned as to how their children were able to perform such advanced spells and have great amounts of mana.


    They were silent. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Until they managed to crack one of the more arrogant children. That one child…always spoke of gaining power and a new future with the use of alchemy. Though that child spoke very maturely, it didn’t change the fact that a child is still a child.


    His caretakers managed to gain information by playing into the child’s hands. They would agree with everything he said, help him plan his escape and make him feel heard. It took time, but he confessed to Helminger’s deeds.


    Immediately after confession, mages were sent to track down Helminger and put him behind bars. They find him in a completely impoverished area of their city, offering potions to the people.


    “You have condemned the weak.” Were his last words before his capture.


    Needless to say, Helminger was detained and he didn’t put up a fight. He remained silent throughout the whole court session and he was given a life sentence. He passed in prison  and all of his papers and studies are locked in the Alchemy Council’s archives.


    Dr. Hess Helminger’s Experiment was quite familiar to Lionel. Though he wanted to pursue the path of being a mage, alchemy studies didn’t go unnoticed, and when someone studied Alchemy, Helminger’s name is not one to be unheard.


    But…What exactly is the Psychological Mana Output Development Experiment? Since it''s inspired by the Helminger’s Experiment, then does it have anything to do with potions? Brainwashing children into becoming power greedy? Mental Development? Or does it include all of that?


    This is the first Lionel has ever heard of it.


    Lionel answers, “I’m not aware of that.”


    The man answers his curiosity, “It’s a lesser known experiment and kept under wraps by the council. Dr. Auguste Gault preferred to keep his research confidential. It wasn’t until the later years were his papers discovered, but he had also gone missing. Everything else is gone, just his papers remain.”


    “...” Lionel remains silent, which only urges the stranger to continue.


    “The PMOD Experiment was conducted on three groups of children of ages from two to seven years old.”


    “Two to seven?!” Lionel gasps in shock. This experiment includes two year olds? Lionel doesn’t mean to weigh the negativity with age, what affected him was the fact that even younger children were involved. Nobody deserves to go through cruel experiments. Though Lionel hasn’t even heard what the PMOD experiment is all about, the fact that it was inspired by Helminger''s work is already enough to tell him that it wasn’t good.


    “In this age group, children begin to learn but struggle with logic and tend to be self-centered. That’s perfectly normal since they’re in the phase of developing and in the process of trying to figure out how the world works.”


    “And why did Dr. Gault chose this stage in particular?” Lionel couldn’t help but become engaged in this conversation. Though it still felt odd to be suddenly talking about this in the middle of the road.


    His question is answered, “Because of how the children think at this stage. To explain further…The three groups were also labeled. The first group is Affirmation, the second group is Indifference, and the third group is Negation. Each group had six children, adding up to a total of twenty-four guinea pigs.”


    The last phrase made Lionel flinch. To call them guinea pigs was sick…But that was an unfortunate fact for these children.


    “The mechanics are simple. Dr. Gault and his team of three would give children the same task. Once the children are finished performing their task, they will be given feedback. However, their feedback will remain the same regardless of the results of the task. The Affirmation group will receive positive feedback, the Negation group will receive negative feedback. And the Indifference group…is also known as the Neglected Group, meaning, they won’t receive any feedback.”


    “Ah, so it’s inspired by Helminger’s manipulation of the children and parents?”


    “Mhm…However, Gault’s experiment isn’t as simple as Helminger’s brainwashing. To explain further, even if a child from the Affirmation Group wasn’t able to do their task well, they will still receive praise and affirmation for their actions. Even if a child from the Negation Group does it perfectly, they will still be chastised and denied.”


    And no matter what the Indiffirence group does, they will be ignored…


    “To add, their performance and feedback are done in the same room. So all of the children can see the reactions of the evaluators.”


    Realization clicks in Lionel''s mind. Not only will the results cause psychological problems, but social problems as well. The stranger also realized that Lionel caught up quickly and was able to deduce the results of the experiment.


    “This experiment was conducted for one whole year.”


    “...” Lionel’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened.


    “The PMOD experiment had three stages. First four months is the first set, the second four months is the second set and so on. The first set was…calm. The tasks were easy to complete and the feedback was limited to verbal feedback only.”


    Hearing this, Lionel had the idea that every four months, the stage would get even more difficult. It could only possibly mean that. “As…time goes by, the tasks get difficult and feedback also gets…worse…?”


    The stranger makes a noise of agreement. “Exactly. The second set’s tasks involved doing stuff like cleaning and organization, more on physical tasks. The feedback included verbal and physical conduct. Children would receive hugs and other affectionate acts, or…physical abuse.”


    And Lionel’s heart sank. Knowing that this is the cruel feedback for the kids, it could only mean that physical abuse wasn’t the worst Dr. Gault and his people could do. “The third set moved on with academics and activities you can experience in a normal mage school. The feedback…Reward and Punishment.”


    The stranger sighs, as if he was contemplating whether he should continue or not. In the end, he continues, “The kids would get material rewards and the like. The rest, would receive punishments…They could be physical abuse, labor, isolation, humiliation, and…the Affirmation Group had the right to ask anything from the Negation Group, and the Negation Group had no right to refuse…In the end, the Indifference Group remains neglected, treated as if they do not exist.”


    “What is the purpose of this inhumane study!?” Lionel snapped, “The children…The kids from the Affirmation Group would only feel more entitled and self-absorbed. Even if they were wrong, they were praised! That would only warp their sense of what’s actually right and wrong. The Negation Group are traumatized and have psychological scars. And the neglected group will also experience the same and develop behavioral issues. Yes, they’re kids, but this experience will be stuck with them for the rest of their lives! Depending on how they are raised once they were finished with the experiment, there''s a possibility that none of them recovered!”


    “Exactly, you’ve perfectly explained the results of the experiment and how it affected the children. This also raised unhealthy and unstable competitiveness between them, which only made things worse…Everyday they would think…’What did I do wrong here?’, ‘What did that group have that we don’t have?’ , ‘I did it the exact same way as they did, but why am I getting punished?’ , ‘Do I even exist?’ , ‘What should I make the loser do for me?’...They were manipulated to think that way. The purpose? To see how different reactions affect a person, would the mana output be affected by emotions? how it will remain with them for as long as they live and what they would do. That’s the purpose.”


    The stranger took a heavy drag before sighing.


    “But there’s one more thing.”


    “What? There’s more?!”


    “Helminger.”


    “...”


    The stranger looked at the sky briefly before taking another drag. The smoke envelops them in an uncomfortable silence that the stranger soon breaks.


    “The Negation and Indifference group were given an ultimatum. Would they be willing to do whatever it takes to take revenge? To gain power no matter the cause? Would they be willing to endure the effects of a potion their bodies may reject?”


    “Don’t tell me…”


    “They were given Helminger’s potion.”


    “...” Lionel is speechless. Truly, history had its dark events. It is obvious that this caused trauma to the kids, especially the negative group. To think that this is happening to children…And Helminger’s Potion. How were they able to produce such a poison?


    “According to his final paper, only a few were able to fully ingest Helminger’s potion safely without many side effects. They were given the opportunity to duel with the Affirmation Group and obviously won. And so, the Affirmation Group also took Helminger’s potion in retaliation after Gault reveals the truth to them. They would do anything to reach the top and drag each other down. And so, the third set has officially ended. Gault claims to have freed the children, there were no casualties other than physical injuries.”


    Other than physical injuries? What about psychological injuries?


    Lionel feels his stomach curl in an unsettling way. Something wants to jump out his throat, something heavy lies in his chest and it feels hard to breathe despite his lungs being perfectly healthy. Is it the smoke he inhales? Is it the reminder of the graphic photographs of the results of Helminger’s work? Lionel feels this to be overdramatic, but he wishes he could bash his head on the ground and forget everything.


    The stranger is silent, he didn’t have anything further to add. It was probably his way of letting the information sink into Lionel’s head. The results could lead from one thing to another. What if it caused the kids to snap and hurt somebody after release? Worse, become a murderer in the future.There was also a possibility that one of them committed suicide after…There’s so many things that might’ve happened…and it probably did…


    Could the tragedies presented in some newspaper articles be related to this? It was hard to tell…


    In the end, Lionel picked out one question from the rest of the hundred questions in his mind. “Sir…Why are you telling me all this?”


    “...”


    “...”


    The stranger doesn’t even look at Lionel, but at the gray sky as smoke escapes from between his lips.


    “Because you’re a transfer student.”


    “What does that mean—”


    “Excuse me, sir! There’s not much I can do for the carriage but…” The carriage driver grabs their attention. The driver was waving at Lionel, then moved on to collect a saddle from the extra trunk of the carriage. Lionel looked at the stranger and back at the driver.


    “You shouldn’t keep him waiting.” The older said, gesturing at the driver now cinching the saddle onto the horse.


    “Wait, what did you mean by me being a transfer student?”


    “Sir? Who are you talking to?” The driver asked, disconnecting the shafts from the horse''s harness.


    “Huh!?” Lionel looked at the driver in pure disbelief and confusion, then he gasped when he looked back at where the stranger leaned, but he was gone. Lionel doesn’t know how to describe it, but it felt like a storm hammering down on him. Small incoherent noises left the teen’s mouth and his hands trembled. Was he hallucinating? Did he fall asleep or something?


    Lionel snaps back to reality when he feels something cold and wet crash into his face.


    It’s raining…


    Though he couldn’t clearly register it was raining, he was more focused on the missing stranger. He looked around, trying to find any trace of the older man but to no avail. When the driver calls again, Lionel finally rushes to the horse prepared.


    The driver apologized for their unfortunate predicament. The driver now has to guide him to Wisiria through horseback. Fortunately, Lionel knows how to ride a horse and their journey finally continues.


    He looked behind, still in a state of shock.


    What happened? Who was I talking to?