"Discard the rest," a woman with flowing red hair commanded coldly.
"But Miss Aria, this could be the biggest breakthrough," a scientist protested, his voice trembling with urgency.
"I don't care. I have what I need," she snapped, her gaze fixed firmly on the lab table before her. "We don't need another warmonger."
A green, translucent liquid surrounded the boy as his eyelids flickered open. His first instinct was to breathe, but there was no air. His body screamed for oxygen, yet the liquid around him, thick and viscous, refused to provide it. He felt his muscles burning, his vision dimming. But just as his body threatened to shut down, a faint sensation of air passed through his lungs. The liquid had diffused oxygen, just enough to sustain him.
"This specimen seems stable, Miss Aria," a voice cut through the silence, its tone clinical. "The core is intact, and all markers are within safe limits."
The boy strained to focus on the figures outside his tank. Scientists, scribbling in notebooks, occasionally glanced in his direction. They were too busy with their observations to notice his growing panic.
His hands banged weakly against the glass. His body was weak—atrophied from disuse—but fear drove him to make an effort. A tiny crack appeared on the glass. The boy's heart raced. He was running out of time.
"I don't want him," Aria said flatly, her voice like ice. "Destroy him before Jason finds out."
"Wait a minute," a woman with long, yellow hair and piercing blue eyes spoke up, her voice weak yet insistent. "This one is healthy. There's no reason to discard him. The research is complete, but he's viable. We can't just—"
"I said, destroy him!" Aria's voice cut through the room like a whip.
The yellow-haired woman stepped back, her words dying in her throat.
With a final crack, the glass broke. The boy fell to the cold, hard granite floor with a thud. Every gasp for air was painful, his lungs not yet accustomed to drawing in oxygen. Small shards of glass clung to his skin, piercing his forearms and knees. Yet, somehow, none of them were embedded deep enough to cause lasting harm.
He struggled, groaning as he forced himself to move. The woman with yellow hair extended a hand, helping him up. Her grip was unnaturally strong, as though she wasn't entirely human. He wobbled on his legs, unsteady but desperate to survive.
One of the scientists tossed a white towel toward him. Only then did he realize that he was completely naked, his skin still slick with the fluid that had sustained him in the tank. The feeling of vulnerability surged through him, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.
"Jason already knows about this project, Aria," a senior scientist said, a hint of tension in his voice.
Aria's eyes narrowed, a dangerous flicker of anger crossing her face. "How is that possible? I made sure this was kept secret."
"I don't know how," the scientist said nervously. "But he knows. He'll be here soon."
Aria's lips curled into a thin smile as if a new idea had just occurred to her. "I have a better plan," she said, her voice softening. "Give him to my nephew. He's starting a new company. This way, I can keep an eye on him, and my nephew will have a bodyguard."
The boy—Edoran, though he had yet to understand the name—stood there, trying to process what was happening. Escape seemed impossible. But he felt relief too. Escape would mean death, and death was the last thing he wanted.
"Wait a minute, Miss Aria. You forgot the collar," the yellow-haired woman said, her voice soft but urgent.
Aria glanced at her. "Ah, right. Can't have him running wild."
The woman handed Aria a black collar, its orange light flickering faintly. Aria took it without hesitation, fastening it around Edoran's neck. The collar tightened immediately, and as soon as it made contact with his skin, a strange, burning sensation spread through him. A black tattoo formed around his neck, spiraling into intricate patterns. He winced, rubbing at it desperately, but it wouldn't fade.
The pain increased. "AHH! IT BURNS!" Edoran screamed, dropping to his knees. The tattoo seemed to be searing into his flesh, the heat unbearable.
Aria stood above him, unaffected by his agony. "Calm down. It's necessary," she said coldly. "Now, we can go. My nephew's party should have started by now."
Edoran gasped for breath, fear and confusion flooding him.
'This bitch… she just burned me. How can she do this to me? How can she enslave me like this?'
He clenched his fists, but the collar burned him again, the pain forcing him into submission.
Aria smiled, her eyes glinting with satisfaction. "You'll get used to it. Don't even think about attacking me or anyone in my bloodline. If you do, I'll remove your core and use it as a fucking battery."
Edoran whimpered, his heart pounding. He looked at her, a mixture of fear and anger clouding his thoughts.
"Please... let me go. What have I done to you? I'm just like you... How can you treat me like this?"
Aria's voice was colder than ever. "You belong to me now. You're the property of the Faulkner family. And you just tried to attack me. Don't forget your place."
A voice, soft but commanding, echoed in Edoran's mind.
(Listen to her. You will live a happy life. This is your fate now. Obey her.)
The words seemed to sink deep into his thoughts like they were being carved into his very being. He struggled, but a strange warmth spread through him, emanating from the collar and settling deep in his chest.
(You will do as you're told. You will follow her. It's what you're meant for.)
The collar pulsed again, and the warmth spread, clouding his mind. Edoran's thoughts became hazy, his will growing weaker with every passing second. He felt the urge to fight back—he wanted to scream, to refuse—but the voice, her voice, drowned out all his resistance.
(Move. You're weak. Do not resist.) The voice wrapped around him like a shackle, pulling him to his feet.
Edoran's body moved on its own, each step taking him further from the lab, further from any hope of freedom. The collar's influence was undeniable, warping his mind, reshaping his desires until he was nothing more than a puppet—his strings pulled by Aria and the unseen force in his mind.
As they traveled, Edoran sat in the back of a truck, huddled against the cold, staring out at the landscape beyond. The world was unlike anything he had ever seen—a sea of green stretching into the horizon, dotted with towering skyscrapers and sprawling houses. The city was surrounded by nature, as though humanity had learned to coexist with the earth.
"Enjoying the view?" Aria's voice interrupted his thoughts. "This is Greenglow country. It produces 79% of the world's agricultural output. The city is managed by five companies—only one of which deals with the savages. The rest are focused on sustainable agriculture."
Edoran didn't respond, but his mind raced, fragments of thoughts still struggling to break free. Savages… creatures created by the missing biological component A-076thz… The thought of these mutated beings unsettled him. He had heard of them, though he had no idea how they were connected to his world. He had never been outside the lab, after all.
"Over there," Aria continued, pointing to a factory in the distance, "is where we process the savages' bodies. Their energy cores provide us with a renewable source of energy. The weaker ones are used for food."
Edoran stared at the factory, the sight of it chilling him to the bone.
After an hour of travel, they arrived at a massive mansion, its aged yet well-maintained architecture standing in stark contrast to the modern buildings around it. Guards stood at the gate, fully armored in blue suits. The sight of them sent a shiver down Edoran's spine.
"Miss Aria, I trust your visit to the lab went well," one of the guards greeted her.
"Indeed, Jen," Aria replied, turning to Edoran. "This is Edoran, a battle homunculus. I brought him for Harold."
The guards examined Edoran carefully, one raising the cannon on his arm to present a small orb. It glowed faintly, scanning Edoran. "Is it true that his core is fully savage?" the guard asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
"Yes," Aria answered. "He's on par with the Warmonger."
Edoran stood still, feeling like an object on display. 'They're looking at me like I'm some kind of prize. I'm nothing more than a tool for them.'
Aria led him inside the mansion, her voice cutting through his thoughts. "This is where Harold is. He's been waiting for me."
A teenage boy walked toward them, a smile on his face. "Aunt Aria, you're finally here! The party is about to start, and I've been waiting for you. Grandfather will arrive soon."
Edoran could only stare at the boy, a strange feeling rising within him. He didn't know who this Harold was, but he already sensed that his life was about to change once more. Would this be better or worse than the life he had in the lab? Only time will tell.