The red glare in the crack of the metal door was sharp and cold, like a poisoned spike driven straight into Ryan's spine.
His grip tightened around the magic disruptor. His fingers had gone pale. Sweat soaked into his back before he even realized he was afraid.
Ayla reacted instantly.
She stepped in front of him, golden energy surging across her body. Her nails elongated, hardening into blades. The outline of her werewolf form flickered into existence as a low growl rolled from her throat.
"Come out," she warned.
The metal door creaked inward.
What appeared on the other side was not a powerful guardian—but a broken thing.
It had a human torso, twisted and hunched, with reptilian limbs jutting out at the wrong angles. Dark green scales covered its skin. Its head was bald, misshapen, and those same red eyes stared lifelessly ahead. Its movements were slow and uneven. Black magic clung to it in thin, unstable strands.
A failed experiment.
"Just a half-finished one," Ayla said, easing her stance slightly but keeping her guard up. "Kallen really is insane. He even uses trash like this as guards."
The creature suddenly lunged.
It was slow, but desperate.
Ayla stepped aside and struck once.
A sharp crack echoed through the corridor. The creature's head snapped sideways, and it collapsed without another sound.
Ryan stared at the body. His stomach twisted.
This was his first time seeing the result of magic fused with technology up close. The shape was wrong. Nothing about it felt human anymore. Kallen's madness was no longer abstract—it was right in front of him.
"Inside," Ayla said quietly. "Watch your footing."
They entered the lab.
The smell hit them immediately—chemicals, rot, and blood mixed into something almost unbearable. Ryan covered his mouth and activated True Sight.
Black fog filled his vision.
It was the densest concentration of dark magic he had ever seen. Within it flickered countless tiny lights, weak and unstable, like dying fireflies.
Souls.
The lab was massive, rectangular in layout. Metal worktables lined both sides, cluttered with instruments, shattered vials, and scalpels stained with blackened blood. Gray anti-slip tiles covered the floor, but dark red liquid seeped through the cracks, hissing faintly as it ate into the surface.
Most of the ceiling lights were broken. The few still working flickered endlessly, throwing the lab into uneven flashes of white and shadow.
"Careful," Ayla whispered. "Some tables may be trapped."
Her flashlight swept forward.
When it passed the third table on the left, both of them stopped.
A body lay there.
Its chest had been cut open. The head was human—but bat wings sprouted from its back, and eight spider-like legs extended from its lower body. Inside the open ribcage, organs had been replaced with glowing blue mechanical parts. Black veins and metal wiring were tangled together, still pulsing slowly.
A screen beside it flashed red text:
Test Subject #37 — Fusion Failed — Vitality Remaining: 1.2%
"He used humans…" Ryan's voice shook.
Through True Sight, he could see it clearly. A weak white glow flickered inside the skull.
A soul.
Barely alive—but still there.
Ayla's expression darkened. Golden energy rippled violently around her.
"The Balance Council banned human experiments long ago," she said coldly. "Kallen ignored it. He'll answer for this."
She took a breath and forced herself to calm down.
"Emotions later. First, we find Linton and destroy the data."
They moved deeper.
Every table held another failure.
Some had three arms and two heads. Some ended in snake tails. Some had transparent skin, their bodies filled with rolling black liquid. Each one was different. Each one wrong.
And inside every head, a weak soul struggled.
Ryan felt his chest tighten.
"I just wanted to clear my name," he muttered. "I didn't expect… this."
"Most likely kidnapped," Ayla replied. "Valentin said Kallen targeted wealthy backers who refused him—but this many bodies? Ordinary citizens too. Missing persons cases finally make sense."
She looked toward a sealed metal door at the far end.
"That's the core lab."
They moved faster.
The dark magic grew thicker. The soul lights grew denser.
Then Ryan stopped.
On the right stood a massive glass tank—much larger than the others. Green liquid churned inside. A human-shaped figure floated within.
It looked… normal.
No extra limbs. No distortion.
But its skin was gray-green. Its hair was gone. Its eyes were closed. Its chest rose and fell slowly.
Alive.
The display read:
Test Subject #68 — Compatibility: 78% — Advanced Modification in Progress
"This one's different," Ryan said.
Through True Sight, the dark magic inside the body was stable. The soul light burned brighter than the rest.
"They're focusing on this one."
Ayla frowned. "An advanced prototype. If Kallen succeeds, this becomes a weapon."
Suddenly, the liquid inside the tank began to churn violently.
The figure's eyes snapped open.
Pure white. No pupils.
They locked onto Ryan.
"Move!" Ayla barked, stepping in front of him as golden energy flared.
The creature slammed its fists into the glass.
Cracks spread instantly.
Ryan scanned the tank and spotted a thick black energy pipe connected to its base, pumping dark magic inside.
"That pipe!" he shouted. "It's keeping it alive—cut it!"
Ayla nodded and lunged—
The lights went out.
Emergency lamps bathed the lab in deep red.
A siren screamed.
Then a voice crackled through the speakers—hoarse, excited, unhinged.
"Unauthorized intruders detected. Core laboratory lockdown initiated. All dormant subjects—awaken."
"Kallen!" Ayla cursed.
Around them, tables creaked.
Bodies twitched.
Eyes opened—red, white, empty.
The failed experiments began to move.
They crawled. Dragged themselves forward. Moaning filled the air.
Ryan activated the magic disruptor. Blue waves spread outward, slowing the nearest creatures—but there were too many.
"Straight through!" Ayla shouted, smashing one aside. Black blood coated her arms as she fought, golden energy burning bright—but even she was slowing down.
Ryan shoved the disruptor away and pulled out the basic magic manual he'd exchanged earlier. His hands shook as he flipped through it.
He stopped at Fireball — Basic Theory.
"I don't have time," he muttered. "But I'll try."
He focused. Guided the faint warmth inside him.
Then—
A thunderous crash.
The glass tank shattered.
Green fluid poured across the floor.
The advanced experiment stepped out.
Heavy. Steady.
In its hand—an obsidian-black blade etched with writhing runes.
It raised its head.
And walked toward Ryan.