A Hunter exterminates deviant creatures. That is what Kaeleena has been made into. In order to protect the church, in order to preserve what has been built and sacred for so many years. It is for the greater good : Libitina's words have been spoon fed to her since birth. It is a mission only a very few can handle, in secrecy. Grace must understand, musn't she? She is a guardian, after all. "I strongly believe Sister Cressida is walking down a path of perdition. I fear for her faith, I fear, when I hear the words on her lips, more erratic by the day, preaching a vision of this world that is not ours. If she happens to fully lose herself... what would you do, Gracie?" Such an innoncent question on her usual soothing lulling voice, carrying all this false care for Cressida. Kaeleena couldn't care less about the sinners, she considers them gone already - she does care about the answer to the question however.

     @dollypardonne liked for a short starter.

               @leenasaltar

♦ (leto, ker - for now!)

"Little minx. Come on, I couldn't possibly have a secret boyfriend without a girl to share it all with. My sister kept my secret yet I believe couldn't understand any of it. When I think back Ker was even smarter than me when it came to build shenanigans not to get caught by SIster Elizabeth. Everything was fun with Ker, pretty much all the time I don't remember a moment of us not whispering and giggling to ourselves - even in our Janus phase, God. It slowly changed as we approached graduation. Ker has always been a fervant believer, she has always prayed a little harder and a little longer than me. i got surprised for her to be one of the Swans not affiliated to a family but as time passed, I believe I understand why. Mother's favorite swans are the most devoted."

"Disconnected. That boy, he stood... still. Yes, let's remember all the fights that would break between Janus, that assface, and Minwoo. Of course the crows love a good brawl and you know what, I do too. Just not when it comes to Minwoo, I never liked anybody messing with him. I would throw myself in there first chance I got just for Janus to back off. If he can beat a crow up, it's death row if he ever touches a swan so, I had nothing to lose. I will never forget how Leto always stood in the way, not cheering, not stopping any of this, but watching, I had to push him to get into the circle, yelling at him, Jesus, Move! It was in the heat of the moment, I appreciate Leto, he just always seemed... Out of place, disconnected."

"Gentle. Keres's skin is gentle. I like the way it does glowd under the sun in the meadow when we are together. Her voice. It is gentle too, music that I love laced with the lullaby of mine. She is, has always been, will always be my best friend, my dance partner. As a new world seemed to have opened to our sisters , only Keres and I have been left in our own. My sorrow to have lost Gayane has been grand and yet I could not be more happier as I found peace and safety in my Keres presence. I adore it when we lay down together the most. When we fall asleep together, as well. I do not dream of what tortures my mind at night, my sleep is peaceful when by her side."

"Target. I do correlate the level of humanity to the level of potential betrayal in a Crow. There always has been empathy in the eyes of a being like Leto. I have read his medical file enough times to understand the techniques used on the first generation of crows did do the wonders they were expected to. It happened to be a matter of time before the bells ring, as the crows and the dogs got unleashed in the forest to chase after him. Many couldn't possibly believe, mistaking his behavior for cowardice like many before him - they couldn't be more in wrong. I always knew his predominant humanity will make him a target. It must have taken braveness then for him to take the decision to go and run. How unfotunate - he must die, still.

"♦" (meme attendance: present.)

"Divine. Magnificient. Never ever I have seen such beauty before my eyes. He is the quintessence of Creation. I am well aware of my hunger, my mind, body, soul and core, they feed from these thoughts that twist my head at night, these thoughts and crave what cannot leave the layers under my skin. That is what the sight of him does to me - he is haunting. I remember every single connection that had to be made inside his beautiful brain for Man to ascend, to transcend, to rise. I did not foresee this, me falling oh so deep in contemplation ever since the day he has Reborn. I need and crave my hands in the white matter of his cerebral cortex, I need to penetrate his aorta arch the way he has penetrated my mind."

"Impressive. I consider myself a soldier therefore, I have respect for another soldier I share the field with. To partner up is one of the best strategies the House ever came up with, his organization have the means we needed to take our missions to the next level. We make a good team, yes. I wouldn't have been this efficient in the past months without his enhanced abilities and I believe he wouldn't have completed some of our missions without my skills either : this is working. Another word could be Atypical - that's the nice word for out of this world-weird. But in a good way - let's not forget I grew up with another Atypical, now that I think about it...

The tales of the black and the white swan.

chapter. 03. A human project.

The Swans of Misericorde is much more than an orphanage—it is the center of a human experiment masterminded by Mother Supreme Libitina. Under the pretense of religious devotion and the promise of a bright future, The Swans of Misericorde are not just to be perfect daughters but the ultimate tools of manipulation and control. Libitina orchestrates every aspect of the orphanage with an iron grip. To the outside world, she is the philantropist at the head of a charitable institution, providing a sanctuary for orphaned girls. Meanwhile, she is the architect of a grand scheme, relying on psychological manipulation and experimental brainwashing techniques to create the Swans—girls of superior intellect, charm, and manipulative prowess.

The Swans are not merely raised; they are meticulously crafted. From a young age, the girls undergo training designed to enhance their cognitive abilities and refine their social skills. They are taught to excel in academics, arts, and physical endeavors, ensuring they stand out as prodigious talents. However, beneath this imagee of excellence lies a darker, more sinister education. The Swans are conditioned to become master manipulators themselves, trained in the subtle arts of persuasion and influence. The ultimate goal is to place the Swans into the most powerful families around the world, ensuring the families remain under the subtle but firm influence of the Twelve—the organization Libitina served her project to.

Kaeleena's role in these experiments shows the depth of Libitina's manipulation. When faced with a fellow Swan showing erratic behavior, Kaeleena coldly suggests targeting the brain in new ways, pointing out the limitations of their actual methods. Her detachment and clinical approach to the suffering of her 'sisters' reflect the success of Libitina's indoctrination—empathy is eradicated, and loyalty to the cause is absolute. Libitina sees Kaeleena as her successor, the Swan who will educate the future generations and stand at the head the same way Libitina has. Kaeleena therefore has all the files regarding every single procedure and brainwashing sessions her sisters have gone through - hers included. It makes Kaeleena, a self aware swan. Kaeleena reports in her diaries every single observation she makes when watching.

This human experiment will not know a peaceful end. All will be left are the entries of Kaeleena's diary to relate the dark story of the House of Miséricorde.

  kaeleena, the white swan.

📔

Entry 1839.

Saturday, fifth of the month.

I do adore celebrations. They bring joy to me. This night was one I have awaited my entire life for. To reunit. To appreciate how the years have affected our cores and heads. Ker was beautiful in her dress, the most beautiful I have landed my eyes on, perhaps even the little secrets in my laboratory will never compete with her beauty. To choose our dresses for the celebration has been gentle on my soul : combing her hair, buttonning her dress up, taking care of her the way I always do. Her skin as usual, was soft, her hair however - it caugth my attention multiple times... What could have possibly happened to the silk that used to be her raven locks. It did dry for the past weeks. Are you alright my Dear... Have you been eating enough... Have you been sick.. I tended to question her early in the mornings, as her carnation couldn't turn more pale. I wanted to enter the ballroom with her by my arm tonight. I wanted to dance with her, in the way we did in the beginning of the year for the Winter ball. My mind has been preoccupied with her a lot, her eyes, they didn't look quite into mine as she excused herself to disappear before the festivities began. It isn't as joyful without her presence and I watch the clock ticking as she lacks by my side. The idea of secrets kept from me has the tendency to drive me crazy. For weeks she has been distant with me, for weeks she has been hidding something from me. Isn't the opening of a ceremony the perfect time to disappear without attracting to many eyes? Too late it was for me to follow her and so I made my way to the kennel. Mother Libitina raised three dogs, we call them Cerberus. I took the smaller with me, he is silent by nature, my favorite one to borrow on missions like this one ; I made him scent the scarf Ker has given me as a present, it's my favorite. He tracked her, in the night, with only the shadows of the forest as a witness. I couldn't believe it, what would she even do, in the forest, on an important night, away from me. I stood there, hidden, not so far away from her as the dog lead me to a scene I refused to see. Her and ... Him. I could feel the mechanics of my jaw clenching as I immediatly recognized the shape of his skull. Leto, the deserter who never got caught. How could a target be so good at hidding and yet, go back to the lion's den just like this. Does he desire a cruel death? Or is their connection so deep he would risk it all for her? The dog pulled on the leash with I know, the desire to eat that traitor alive. Easy. I said in my head, pulling back twice for the dog not to make any sound. I watched, the gestures of tenderness Ker was offering to him, a secret, an exchange, a kiss : this was a reunion. My lips twitched in rage and digust. Was that the secret you have been keeping Keres? All I wanted was to let a head of Cerberus lacerate this boy's neck for me to watch... How embarrassing, my jealousy was having the best of me. Leto has always been nice in my memories. Ker and I, he would always come with a gentle word to Us... Or was it to Her only - me being there was the perfect cover to his eyes that maybe have lingered on her for years. Something was wrong with him, from the beginning and I could tell. Crows are either Beasts and Humans. I created a scale and then proceeded to correlate their behaviors with their probability to betray the Church : Leto was the most human of them all and there he was, alive, smiling to the woman who should be by my side. I was getting sick, watching him hold her hands, the ones I should be holding. Was it so pathetic of me, to feel tears invade my eyes. I turned around, I left. I always considered Nero's ways quite pointless : to Kill a Crow seemed to be such a loss but oh well, this one won't be.

📔

Entry 1837.

Monday, second of the month.

"He is magnificient. Through the tinted glass, my eyes could not possible leave the sight of him. The way he responded to his environment was fascinating to me, he appeared as more than just a prototype, he appeared as the rebirth I have always foreseen. My breath was held, as I dived into the contemplation of him, I knew he would then never leave my thoughts. I only wished to rest the palm of my hand against the glass for him to come to me, yet I had to control myself. The Professor in charge of the experiment was standing by my side, a fellow colleague from Oxford University with whom we have collaborated and exchanged multiple times. The contract between the House of Miséricorde and their organization meant that I will sooner than later be able to meet him, the creation. How proud Professor was, discussing on the grandiosity of the success of such a world changing operation. I appreciated the recognition he attributed to my work, the wires of the protoype's brain were solely based after my research ; the technology however, belongs to them. Our laboratories rely on a different philosophy, I believe I will be able to perform similar miracles without relying on the burden of machines. With the perfect knowledge of the human brain and its subtilities as it is, combined with mastering the beauty of genomics, our prototypes will rise higher. Or perhaps my pride has been ahead of me. The words we exchanged with the Professor are quite a blur by now, all I can think of is him. Zephyr, what a noble name for a noble creature. Days have passed, I have dreamed of him on many nights, dreams that I cannot quite decypher myself. I have dreamed of a conversation with him, I have dreamed of my hands on his skin, I have dreamed of the sight of blood running down his neck under the sharp of my scalpel. Sleeping became impossible for me as I ended up studying the files relating the procedure - even though our collaboration implies complete transparency, I assure some elements have missing, birthing inside of me the obsession of performing my own experiments on him. Does he feel warmth. Does he feel pain. Does he have a God."

The tales of the black and the white swan.

chapter. 02. Kaeleena.

Kaeleena was born a few minutes before her twin, Gaya, the records say. Both grew up an orphans in the all girls orphanage The Swans of Misericorde, in Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom. The orphanage, bathed in religious beliefs, aimed to raise and shape girls, considering them promising of a bright future, calling them gifted, chosen ones. Once they have completed their educations, they are sent to power families in order for the hidden faces behind the orphanage to establish a web accross the world. Each country, each powerful family has a Swan. Gaya was sent to Seoul Korea in the Kang family, posing as the daughter of the Minister of Justice. As for Kaeleena, she stayed, separated from her Gaya and the other swans. Kaeleena was different, silent, observent, gilfted of an intellect above her sisters. This one... Never let her go. Would say their Mother Supreme, Libitina.

While the swans were following their regular yet demanding education, Kaeleena was being kept after classes, sitting alone, forced to watch her sisters play outside and dance in the evening without her. An intellect as sharp as hers seemed to have deprived her from regular emotions, a certain lack of empathy, a certain emptiness in her smiles. At the age of fifteen, she has been introduced to one of the most secret experiments the Orphanage has been conducting : brainwashing. To redirect, rewrite, reprogram the Swans who seemed to appear deviant. "What would you do Kaeleena, to make sure this one behaves definitly? It is the third time this month that she has showcased erratic behaviour." Mother Supreme Libitina would question her, revealing to her one of the girls plunged in a forced coma, lying on a table in their secret laboratory. "We cannot continiously butcher her frontal cortex to alter her memories, Mother. The plasticity of one's brain white matter is limited. That's what we should focus on the next time we operate : fresh white matter. Don't freshly dead bodies have just that?" Kaeleena would answer. "How does it make you feel, when you use the scalpel on one of your sisters, Kaeleena?" Libitina would question. "Good. It's for the greater good Mother. I will fix her."

After graduation, Kaeleena is sent to Oxford to pursue her education in medicine. Excelling, she becomes a neuro surgeon, neuro specialist, reknown and admired. Her lectures and conferences are fought over to simply have the chance to attend, a conversation with her is highly praised. Brilliant, one of the erudit of her generations as many of her researches on the human brain as been inspiring for the neurosciences communitee. Her smile, her eloquence, the softness of her voice however hides the loss of humanity as day by day she goes furthur, succesfully developping what she calls The Rebirth, an experimental approach to entirely rewrite a human being's memories, capacities and hopefully one day, emotions. In a way, to become God.

The sun is warm on their skins and the grass is tender in the meadow. They lay down by the tree as Kaeleena's back rests against the trunk. The silence is pleasant, as the manoir of the Miséricorde and Délivrance stands far away, accross the river, majestic, watching over them. Ker's head always rests down Kaeleena's lap as Kaeleena's fingers play with the raven locks of Ker tenderly. "Mmm have you heard, My Dear..." She starts. Her voice is often gentle. Deep yet slow. "Headmasters have set on a date for the ball. The flowers have blossomed, after all." Indeed all the swans and the crows who graduated with Ker and Kaileena are invited to come back for the event, it was ten years ago. Time have passed. "Are you excited?" Kaeleena then asks, her fingers reaching for Ker's jawline, a smile to her lips.

               @feraldogweeps

The tales of the black and the white swan.

chapter. 01. Miséricorde.

Gaya grew up as an orphan in the all girls orphanage The Swans of Misericorde, in Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom. The orphanage, bathed in religious beliefs, aimed to raise and shaped girls, considering them promising of a bright future,c calling them gifted. Every ten years, twelve girls are selected to join and become Swans - Swans are trained and taught to display capacities way above the average, they are the perfect daughters. Once they have completed their educations, they are sent to families. It isn't the families who choose the which swan they want, it is the orphanage itself who select families as it is an honor to have a Swan. Only powerful families, the ones who are in command of this world. Gaya is sent to the Kang family, one of the most powerful families in Korea.

The Orphanage is nothing but the facade of somerthing bigger, owed by The Twelve, nobody knows nothing about them. With the Swans, their goal is to keep control through the families they insert their Swans in - as said, the choosen families are the most powerful ones. Not only the Swans have an above the average intellect and capacities, they are also raised to become the perfect manipulators. The rule is to secure the lineage and so, the swans must get married, get pregnant, birth a child and make sure to whisper the right words in the ear of the powerful fathers who adopted them and the powerful husbands who impregnated them.

The Swans have always been a family to Gaya, her sisters. If the Kang family to her is just her duty and her place to be after the adoption, - all her devotion, her love, her care goes to her sisters and brothers back in Buckinghamshire. Through her life, Gaya little by little finds herself torn. Restricted, realising she is a prisoner. Her who got raised as a Swan to insert a powerful family but to never take the lead of it ; her who was instructed to get married and birth an heir like all heiresses do. It escalates inside of her, this rage of not being able to rule on her own.

There are memories in the back of her head that give her migraines she never managed to get rid of. The family doctor does give her pills to help with the headcaches, pills that she tolerates less and less and ends up vomitting as she ages. Without the pills, some memories intensify and become clear. They seem to belong to her childhood. The happy ones she never forgotten - but the dark ones, they eventually unlock. Gaya decides to open the pages of her past, of the place she comes from. The swans of misericorde wasn't just an orphanage for promising girls, it wasn't just " her family " - it was bigger than that. A place that brainwashed her, a place that inserted oh so many things inside her head that made a slave of her. In the end, who am I, she wonders.

"A beautiful crafted piece of living flesh. The limbs were functional at a 70% capacity, and so was diction, 40% capacity. It did speak to me besides its language being completely incoherent." To share the advancement of her experimentations with him always brings a certain level of satisfaction to Kaeleena. The erudit has become quite tired of minding people's "sensitivity" and "sense of ethics" about her research which involves either human lives or corpses. It is all for science or well, leisure. "It did die in three days however, what a shame brought to my own name. I shall coordinate the performance of my next revival together with your return from vacation, in order to show you. To where have you been? Any tales from distant lands?"

       @eclavigne liked for a short starter.

Like this for a one liner/short starter from Kaeleena ! Even if we already have things ongoing.

♦ ( for k and g )

"Family. Call me cheese if you want. I never overuse the term, I've always been quite selective around it if I'm honest. I believe I expected to find just that, a family, at the Ceremonie de l'Envol - I seeked that in them. It wasn't so easy understanding my role was never what I wanted it to be, being among them, seeing in the eyes of this father, my Father, the truth of my mere existence. I am a tool to the Kangs, they are a tool to me. Reuniting with Minwoo in Korea, that's when I realized this... this is my family. This weird little guy I would want to protect at all cost. I would bicker with Janus to death for him to just back the hell off him. My little bother. Yeah I would kill for him."

"Riddle. Oh, I do like riddles. Achilles is a noble name don't you think? Yet carrier of Grief and Pain in its meaning. I have observed him ever since hiw youngest age : a prodigee, in ways that seems to have captivated an audience. More than captivated I was intrigued, I must admit, I still am. He appears to be the type of creatures I would want to birth in my laboratory when the Gods finally let me, genetics oh so perfectly assembled. I was quite angry at how Gayane wouldn't let me play with him, I wanted to play. Why won't you let me solve the Riddle, dear Sister? Two decades have passed yet the enigma remains. What Grief and Pain are hidden inside of you, Golden boy?"

📔 ( sends you all the memes )

Entry 1895.

Thursday, nineteeth of the month.

"I must write as I observe. Today is a grand day! My swan sisters are coming back to the nest for our Spring festival. I too, arrived no later than week ago, finding my path back into our beloved House of Miséricorde. Home. Residing in Oxford for the past two years have made me miss the meadows in Buckinghamshire. I believe almost none of them, my sisters, have truly missed my presence, besides my Gayane. As I am watching her from afar by her side is standing the Golden Boy, I question myself. Many years have passed - I never quite forgot about the observations I have written down my many diaries nor reported in my files. The mystery of him remains unsolved : while Mother Libitina has provided me an unlimited access to all the swans and crows medical files, the Golden Boy's have always been the missing one. Mother Libitina does trust me as she foresees in me her successor as Mother Supreeme ; she describes my intellect as noble enough not to let my emotions cloud my judgement nor sabotage the integrity of my science - I remain the only swan aware of my own history. My sisters along with the crows demonstrate a grand intellect that however remains beneath mine - except for the Golden Boy's. His emotional capacities are absent, absent enough for his cognitive plasticity to have taken so much place, his skills are beyond impressive, beyond any other crow's, beyond even Headmaster Nero's himself I believe. While the Golden Boy's mind seem to connect elements as fast as mine does, he appears enable to treat a human being and a dog differently. It is quite fascinating to me. I sometimes fear the prototypes of my experiments would display similar abilities yet a total lack of humanity and empathy such as his. Coming from me, it might sound surprising yet I believe empathy is what separates a living being from an abomination. I don't mind being an abomination myself. I remember the days we spent, Golden boy and I, observing arthropods in the sand. I must keep observing, I must keep searching, I must understand. Who is Golden Boy?"

Tea time. Another tradition at the Manoir. The Swans and the Crows would never miss to attend it, here in the grand salon. How heartwarming to reunite for it, after ten yaers. "Minwoo." Kaeleena's voice is as delicate as the smile on her face as she sits down, right next to him, taking what she assumes is Gaya's seat. If her sister isn't here by her favorite boy's side, she must be occupied with other matters, it is the perfect time for them to talk. Gaya and her, they had a chat earlier : stay away from Minwoo, don't put weird shit inside his head Kae. - said Gaya. Laa dee daa. If you are not there to keep an eye on me Gayane, I might just do as I please. - Kaeleena answered. She extends her hands to take Minwoo's inside of hers as she adresses him a slight bow from the head. A traditional way for the Swans to greet each other and the Crows - friends and families only. The Golden Boy and the White Swan, reunited. Unspoken similarities have always linked the two of them. If they do not feel like the others do, they see better than any of them. Swans and Crows already stand at a high level of cognitive faculties, these two might be demi gods then. "Please know your presence have been widely expected. Especially by Mother Supreme and Headmaster Nero, your name has never left these walls nor their lips. Have you traveled well?" In her never ending observations, Minwoo has probably been one of the most fascinating case to her. He is grown now and as years pass, Kaeleena is curious.

       @murderugh liked for a short starter.