Everything was dark.
A rough cloth covered Aiah's head, scratching her skin and muffling every sound. She couldn't see where they were taking her, but she could feel it. The air got colder. The ground beneath her feet turned from dirt to stone. The silence grew heavier.
This wasn't the dungeon anymore.
Far below the palace, they dragged her through narrow halls lit only by flickering blue crystals. The stone walls were smooth and wet, like something had been breathing down there for years.
No voices. No guards posted. Just two knights escorting her, one silent, the other wearing the mark of General Copuz.
They stopped.
A loud hiss echoed as a metal door opened. A blast of cold air hit her face.
Then… shove.
They pushed her forward.
The cloth was pulled off.
She blinked at the sudden light.
It wasn't a room.
It was a huge lab.
It is managed by Miss Wesson, a forty year old Class A mage-scientist.
Rows of hundreds of glass tubes lined the huge laboratory, each filled with a glowing blue liquid. Inside the tubes floated bodies, some fully human, others twisted and wrong. Aiah's stomach turned.
She took a step back.
"What… what is this place?"
A slow clap echoed behind her.
From the shadows stepped a tall man in white robes, wearing a silver crown etched with runes. His face was sharp, his hair graying at the sides.
King Geoffrey.
Her uncle.
"Welcome, my niece," he said with a smile. "Or should I say... Subject Forty-One?"
Aiah clenched her fists. "You're mad."
He chuckled. "No, dear. I'm awake. The rest of the world is still sleeping."
She looked at the tubes again. "These… these are people. What did you do to them?"
Geoffrey walked past her, hands behind his back.
"They were chosen. The weak, the unwanted. Thieves. Traitors. Even soldiers who failed their missions."
His voice was calm, almost proud.
"We sent them into the forest, not to exile them, but to test their instincts. If they survived, we retrieved them. If not… they became fertilizer."
Aiah stepped forward. "And those that survived?"
He stopped in front of a tube. Inside, a woman floated, her body half-changed. Blue veins ran up her arms, and insect-like limbs had grown from her back.
"They were brought here. Fitted into these tubes. Slowly reshaped with alchemy and magic. We are creating something better than soldiers. Better than men."
She trembled. "You're really turning humans into monsters."
Geoffrey tilted his head, almost amused. "Monsters? No. Progress."
He gestured to the glowing tubes and began pacing.
"You want to know how it works? Fine. Let me educate you."
He raised a finger.
"Step one… Extraction."
"Captives, Rank E and F citizens, criminals and weaklings are sent into the forest. The process starts there, in ruins or caves." He paused. "Though some of those sites were… inconveniently destroyed. By you and your friend."
Aiah clenched her jaw.
"Step two… Cocooning."
"They're sealed inside flesh-cocoons. Disgusting things, made from parasitic silk and monster meat. Their bodies break down and rebuild over days. Some scream for hours… others for weeks."
She shuddered.
"Step three… Mutation Catalyst."
"Every site uses different ingredients, monster genes, corrupted mana, even ancient relics. That's why each result is… unique. Some are unstable. Others become elite." He smiled. "Like Harper."
Aiah's fist clenched.
"And finally, step four… Transport to the Forge."
"The strongest are sent here. Put them inside these tubs as their baptism. Then Miss Wesson does the final work, engraves the Loyalty Seal and optimizes their bodies. That's where true perfection is born."
He looked proud, too proud.
"This is the future, Aiah. No more weak soldiers. No more betrayal. Just power. Control. Order."
She raised her chin. "And this is why you killed my father?"
King Geoffrey's smile is fading.
"He found out. Your father was soft. Always talking about peace. Trust. Unity between kingdoms." He spat on the floor. "That kind of thinking would have destroyed Bulcan. So yes, I had him removed. For the good of the kingdom."
Tears welled in Aiah's eyes, but she didn't let them fall. "You murdered your own brother."
He stepped closer, his face inches from hers.
"And I will not hesitate to do the same to you if you become a threat."
She didn't flinch. "You already tried."
He blinked, then laughed. "You're braver than I thought. But bravery won't stop what's coming. The project is nearly complete. Soon, the entire army will be replaced with perfect soldiers."
Her mind raced. If that were true, the Bulcan Kingdom would become unstoppable, and inhuman.
"And what about the Generals?" she asked. "They don't agree with this, do they?"
The king frowned. "Broner and Corpuz are soldiers. They follow orders."
"But they still have a heart."
King Geoffrey turned away. "They'll fall in line, just like the rest."
Aiah's voice hardened. "You think you're building strength, but you're only digging your grave."
He laughed again. "Oh? And who will stop me? The fallen prince? Your little rebellion?"
She stayed silent.
King Geoffrey stepped toward a tub. "This one was caught near the ruins. A strong body. A fighter. Perhaps… your replacement."
Aiah shook her head. "I will never serve you."
"You won't have to," he said coldly. "You'll be reborn."
He nodded to the knights. "Take her back. We'll begin preparations tomorrow."
The knights moved forward, but she didn't resist.
As they grabbed her arms and pulled her away, she stared at the king one last time.
"You killed my father. But you made a mistake leaving me alive."
King Geoffrey didn't answer. He simply turned and stared into the glowing tube as if already dreaming of his perfect kingdom.
But they weren't alone.
Deep in Aiah's thick hair, something moved a bit. So small, so quiet, not even Aiah noticed it.
Tiny, was hidden in the deepest part of her curls. It had been there the whole time, listening.
And far away, perched on Isaac's shoulder, Hopper buzzed low.
'…They're starting tomorrow,' Hopper said. 'The princess will be changed in the morning. In a laboratory under the palace.'
Isaac's eyes went wide.
His heart pounded.
He stood up fast.
"We move now."