The red emergency lights pulsed through the corridor like a dying heartbeat, flickering against the drifting smoke. The once-sterile research complex had become a battlefield of ruin — walls cracked, flames licking at shattered consoles, the stench of burning plastic and blood thick in the air. The alarms blared their shrill warning: a mechanical cry of collapse.
Zander stood amidst the carnage, chest rising and falling with ragged breath. His Titan-lace suit was torn and scorched, the once-silver mesh now stained in soot and crimson. Beneath his armor, pain throbbed from the shallow graze on his thigh — a mark left by the red-armored monstrosity, Korran.
Vanguard Seven crouched before him, his mechanical frame flickering with faint blue light as his scanners traced over Zander's body. The faint hum of servos and the rhythmic chirp of medical diagnostics filled the air around them.
"Minor lacerations. Surface burn trauma. Internal bleeding—negli—wait." Seven's optic sensors flared a brighter blue. "Nanite mesh integrity at seventy percent. I recommend immediate stabilization, Master Zander."
Zander groaned softly, wiping the ash from his face. "Save the recommendations, Seven. Just… patch what you can. We're still not out of this."
At the far end of the chamber, movement stirred among the wreckage. Several of the freed hybrid beasts still fought, snarling and bleeding, against the last wave of guards. Their claws shredded armor, their fangs tore through flesh — desperate, chaotic freedom. Others, however, lay broken on the floor, their experiments ending where they began — in cages, beneath the flickering red lights.
Zander's gaze followed the sound of a heavy crunch — a wet, primal sound that froze him.
Aethros was feeding.
The great feline stood beside the remains of a fallen hybrid, his powerful jaws tearing through muscle and bone. His fur glistened in the dim light, a strange blend of gold, white, and silver that shimmered with a life all its own. Each motion of his body carried both savagery and grace — the movement of a king among ruins.
Zander's grip on his knee tightened as he pushed himself upright. "He's… eating them?" His voice carried disbelief — half horror, half awe.
Seven turned his head, analyzing the scene. "Predatory reclamation behavior," he stated coldly. "Some species consume genetic kin post-mortem to reclaim strength. It is instinctive, but in this case—"
He stopped mid-sentence as Aethros lifted his head, blood staining his muzzle. The beast's golden eyes glowed faintly, catching the flashing light as he stared directly at Zander — and then, strangely, at the serum vial hanging from Zander's chest pouch.
Aethros began to move toward him.
Zander felt a strange chill crawl up his spine. "Seven," he murmured, "help the others. Get them out of here. Now."
Seven paused for half a second, his sensors flicking between them. "Understood. Stay alert."
The mechanoid sprinted off into the smoke, his metallic frame vanishing into the chaos. The sound of mechanical limbs faded, leaving Zander alone with the beast.
Aethros stopped a few steps away, his breath steady but deep, eyes locked on Zander's chest. Then, with deliberate motion, he lowered his head — not in submission, but in thought. His gaze shifted briefly to the floor, where the vial glimmered faintly among the ash.
Zander reached for it, curiosity overriding fear. "You… want this?" he asked quietly, holding it up. "Why? What even are you?"
Aethros said nothing. Instead, he extended one paw — massive, scarred, and lined with faint metallic filaments from his experimentation — and tapped the vial with one claw.
A soft pulse of light shimmered under his skin. Then, almost reverently, Aethros drew the edge of his claw across his own paw, letting a single drop of his glowing blood fall into the vial. The liquid hissed faintly, turning from pale silver to luminous blue.
Zander's breath caught. "You—what are you doing?"
Aethros raised his head slightly, eyes narrowing as if to convey meaning. The air between them thrummed with tension — not words, but something older, deeper. A silent insistence.
Zander's heart pounded. "You want me to drink this?"
The beast's tail flicked once, a silent command.
Zander hesitated. He had no reason to obey — every rational thought screamed no — but something inside, something primal and wordless, urged him forward. Slowly, he uncorked the vial. The scent of iron and ozone filled his nose, sharp and electric.
"One drop," he muttered. "If this kills me, you better—"
He didn't finish. The moment the liquid touched his tongue, it was like swallowing lightning.
His body convulsed. The vial dropped from his hand, shattering on the floor as blue light erupted beneath his skin. He fell to one knee, gasping, his fingers clawing at the ground.
"—ahh!—"
Every vein in his body glowed with blue luminescence, tracing through his arms, his chest, his throat. His muscles tensed, cords of power straining beneath his skin. It wasn't just pain — it was rewriting. Every nerve screamed, every heartbeat thundered like an explosion.
Aethros stood firm, watching in silence. Then, slowly, he stepped closer.
He placed one massive paw against Zander's chest.
The claws pressed deep enough to draw blood, but instead of flowing freely, the blood sizzled and coalesced — forming lines of light that spiraled outward beneath the skin. Blue and silver intertwined, weaving into a complex sigil — the Spiral of Man and Beast.
It pulsed once.
And then again.
Zander's eyes shot open, glowing the same faint blue. His scream turned to a roar — not human, not beast, but something between. The sound echoed through the collapsing halls, a thunderous cry that made the flames waver.
Aethros' own eyes widened, a deep rumble leaving his throat — satisfaction, awe, recognition.
The mark pulsed one final time before fading into the flesh, vanishing completely as if it had never existed. Zander collapsed forward, barely breathing.
Seven's voice echoed distantly through the smoke."Warning. Vital signs unstable. Unknown cellular activity detected."
The mechanoid came charging through the wreckage just in time to catch Zander before his head struck the floor.
Aethros looked at the two of them — the machine holding the man — and exhaled slowly, his breath carrying faint steam in the air. He stepped backward, eyes glowing faintly gold.
He will live, a thought resonated in his mind — not words, but intent. He carries my blood now.
The ground trembled as a section of the ceiling caved in nearby. Fire roared upward. The remaining hybrids, wounded and bloodied, gathered near Aethros as if awaiting command. He turned his head toward them, growled low and deep — and they obeyed. Together, they disappeared into the labyrinthine tunnels, their shadows melting into the smoke.
Seven adjusted his stance, lifting Zander's limp form across his armored shoulder. His sensors flickered erratically, struggling to process the readings now coursing through Zander's body. The once-steady biological rhythm had become something else — faster, stronger, inhuman.
"Warning," Seven repeated. "Unknown energy signature detected. Cellular adaptation at twenty percent and increasing…"
He looked toward the retreating shadows where Aethros had gone, then back down at Zander's still form. "What have you done, creature?"
The silence that followed was broken only by the hum of flames and the mechanical whir of servos.
Moments later, the heavy blast door at the far end of the hall slid open, smoke pouring out as a familiar figure stepped through. Sensei Slade emerged from the haze, his cloak torn and his expression hardened. His eyes widened as he saw Seven standing amid the wreckage, Zander unconscious in his grasp.
"Seven!" he barked. "Report!"
Seven straightened, his voice crisp but laced with static. "Master Zander sustained severe biological alterations. The cause—unknown. Immediate extraction recommended."
Slade's eyes flicked around the ruined chamber — the dead guards, the shattered labs, the burned remains of hybrid beasts. His jaw tightened. "What the hell happened here?"
Seven turned, stepping forward as debris rained from above. "I will explain en route, Sensei. We must evacuate now."
Slade gave one last look into the depths of the corridor, where the faint roar of something vast echoed far away — Aethros' parting cry, fading into the darkness.
Then he nodded sharply. "Move."
Seven carried Zander through the smoking hallway, the alarms still wailing overhead. Behind them, the underground complex continued to crumble — burying its secrets beneath fire, steel, and silence.