---
The air in San's apartment felt heavy after the discovery of Project Eden. The document lay open on the table like a cursed relic, its secrets exposed yet still looming.
San paced the room while Hyme sat curled on the couch, tail twitching anxiously. Lyra sharpened one claw against the other, ears alert. Kai leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his usual smile replaced with grim focus. Lys, half-shadowed in the corner, watched them all with narrowed eyes.
"We can't sit on this," San finally said. "This Project Eden—whatever it is—Hyme's tied to it. And someone's watching."
"Wooyoung included," Kai added, guilt flickering in his eyes. "I don't think she's evil, but she's definitely involved."
Lys spoke, his voice flat. "You think this was all? Eden was more than just hybrid experiments. It was a weapon program. You saw the files—Hyme was the only stable prototype. There could be more… or worse."
Hyme looked up. "Then what do we do?"
Lyra glanced at San. "You already know, don't you?"
San nodded. "We go to the Archives."
Everyone fell silent.
The Archives were a sealed underground vault left behind by the first hybrid integration council—long disbanded after the war. If secrets existed about hybrid research or Eden's origins, they would be buried there.
"We'll be tracked the moment we move," Kai said.
"I don't care," San replied. "Hyme deserves the truth."
That night, they prepared.
---
They left under cover of darkness. Lys, cloaked and silent, guided them through hidden roads. Hyme wore a long hoodie and clung to San's back like always, though this time he said nothing, his face serious.
Kai picked the locks at the perimeter with practiced ease. Lyra disabled the old warding sigils with a flick of her paw.
Inside, the Archive smelled like ash and dust.
Rows of crystal data tablets glowed faintly under cold blue lights. Long-forgotten machines blinked weakly, clinging to life. They split into teams—Kai and Lyra searching the personnel logs, San and Hyme heading toward the records room. Lys stayed near the exit, watching their trail.
In the deepest chamber, San and Hyme found a sealed console.
A retinal scan pulsed.
"Authorized subjects only," the machine announced. "Awaiting—Eden Prototype One."
Hyme stepped forward instinctively.
The machine scanned him—and unlocked.
Files flooded the screen. Holograms shimmered to life. San reached out and tapped one labeled: "Eden-X: Rejection Protocols."
Images appeared.
Hyme. As a baby, crying. Then injected. Tested. Prodded.
Then—another child.
Blonde. Eyes like molten silver. His ears curled like a rabbit's. He was screaming.
Then came the label: Eden Prototype Two – Status: Deceased.
But San's eyes narrowed.
"...He looks like—"
"Lys," Hyme whispered.
They turned. Lys was already standing in the doorway.
"You were Eden Two," San said.
Lys didn't flinch. "I was discarded. Hyme survived. I escaped."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Lyra growled.
"Because I wasn't supposed to survive," Lys said. "But now that you've opened this… I'm not the only one watching."
Suddenly, the ground rumbled. Sirens blared. The Archive's emergency lockdown flared to life.
San grabbed Hyme. "Trap!"
"Not a trap," Lys muttered. "A wake-up call."
From the ceiling, metal doors opened—and strange hybrid-like beings dropped into view. Not foxes. Not cats. Not anything known.
Artificial.
Eyes glowing.
Claws ready.
"Project Eden," Kai muttered. "They're still running it. And they just found their missing pieces."
---