Chapter Text
You were never their father. They called you that, yes, but you were simply a general and they were not siblings they were fellow abductees. Trafficked into the army of a lunatic. If you train killers and do not raise the children, you deserve a childish, murderous end. For all your intelligence and planning and power you could not have anticipated your downfall:
The fact that they were more loyal to each other - even with the cruel words and ruthless competition - than they were to you. Seven children all starved of touch and compassion and mercy clung to one another and saw pity in the brother or sister they did not understand. And those they did? Those they would die for. They would kill for. You made sure of that. Just as you made your slaves - the ape and the machine - passive enough to let you die.
Did you really think that by literally making the blood of the covenant thicker than the water of the womb you could get away with torturing them in front of each other? Somehow despite refusing to raise them you convinced yourself they would grow up to be just like you. Arrogant. Selfish. Unable to care about anything you couldn’t see in your ‘greater good’ tunnel vision.
Just think of your favorite. You groomed him to be the perfect follower by giving him the title of leader. You taught him to worship anyone who was kind to him and you never saw him finding someone else to idolize? That hurting one creates a martyr, not a lesson?
Still, you never taught them mercy. So you know not to expect it.