New Dawn Era, Dawn Calendar - Year 712. Northeast Domain, Desolate East State, Kingdom of Lusreia.
Further to the north side of the Kingdom of Lusreia.
As far as a person's gaze fell, one could only see the endless number of mountains stretched far and wide.
These mountains are clad in heavy white snow, as if a milky-white veil has been draped over these undulating peaks.
While an endlessly stretched snow forest, full of evergreen woods and endless mountain ranges with overflowing and crystal clear rivers descending from far north like mighty dragons.
As they swept from Northern Domain lands to the Eastern Domain side of the region that further enchants the beauty of this speckful of land between these two major domains, giving it a kind of vitality which is difficult to overlook.
The atmosphere here is cold and distant; perhaps in such a region, no ordinary person would want to stay and live.[1]
Although, in a sense, no one indeed wants to stay for a long time in such places, yet, there are always bound to be some exceptions even under such extreme environments across the world.
Same goes for this Far-Northern Region of the Kingdom of Lusreia, which, although cut off from the rest of the world, still holds considerable vitality and life that keeps this place abounding with natural wonders.
From the bird's eye view, one could see the distinct nature of biological equilibria.
Under such an extreme atmosphere, indeed, there still exists a multitude of different lifeforms that co-exist in a healthy ecosystem, and that makes even such an extreme region a perfect place for many lifeforms to exist.
The only exception that seems to disrupt this natural balance is the strange metal structure, which stood erect in the middle of a giant valley.
On a closer inspection, it is fairly easy to guess that this gigantic metal behemoth, in truth, is a hidden laboratory in the middle of the valley.
Most of the area of this huge laboratory is covered by snow, and this gigantic building's metal frame reflects the glaring glow from the edge, just as the sunlight crosses from the middle of the mountain peaks and falls on it.
Coupled with strong wind and light snowfall, the entire place gives a spooky vibe filled with deadly silence, as if a no-man's land.
Alas, this silence is only for the spectators, while the underground floor of this gigantic building has an entirely different story to tell~
…..
Underground Floor, Hallway G-0 of Main Lab.
In the dead center of this underground floor, in the hallway, one could see a giant metal door.
The door in itself gives a highly advanced tech-savvy feeling, and it is currently locked with an advanced electronic pass and Iris recognition.
The entire floor seems to be wrapped in deadly stillness, with dim lights and eerie silence.
It appears to be a place haunted by ghosts and the dead, or perhaps a forsaken morgue, really who knows~
Things might still be comprehensible, if not for the muffled echoes of brutal beatings that drowned out all clarity.
Just standing in this open hallway, any normal person would feel a chill run down their spine!
A laboratory nestled deep within the middle of the northland, an underground floor.
An oppressive yet deadly silence pervades the subterranean halls, and yet such silence is broken only by the harrowing sound of someone being mercilessly beaten within the main chamber.
Honestly, all of this defies reason and sanity, rendering it incomprehensible to any living soul.
Moreover, an ordinary person would be haunted by relentless alarms echoing through their heart, compelling them to flee from such an unsettling, eerie, and unnatural place.
"Da, bam! Bam!…ba…!"
"Thud!! Crackle!".…
The instance when a person enters the main laboratory, the beating sound becomes fairly clear and vibrating throughout the room and corridor.
It is difficult to imagine how much pain and suffering the victim has been going through!
No! Rather, it could make one doubtful if the person who is going through such inhumane torture is still alive or not.
Merely upon hearing the guttural sounds coming out from the lab, one could instinctively infer that the very victim was being struck with a blunt weapon.
The relentless collision of metal against flesh and bone echoed fiercely, crescendoing until the brutal assault stopped with a startling sound of breaking bones —the last crackle was obviously an audible rupture of fractured bones that sent a shiver down the spine.
It is worth noting that, aside from the relentless strikes and the harrowing sound of bones shattering, not a single voice escaped the lips of the person who was being beaten.
Perhaps the person is already dead or may be taking his last breaths…
...….
Inside the lab, the sight was equally mesmerizing and ominous.
Within a circular metal ring stretched across the very center of the room, a colossal, luminous globe hovered silently, while multiple bluish-white lines emitting dim glows stretched across this giant sphere.
A dozen or so virtual screens floated across the silver-colored globe, which looked like a highly advanced computer system in the shape of a sphere.
The images on these screens varied—some displayed other lab rooms, while many showed specimens and captured animals in cages.
A few hovering screens depicted people working in labs, handling various biotic or chemical samples.
Others showed the cafeteria, where many in lab coats enjoyed their meals, and a faint sense of laughter and joy could be felt in the voiceless recordings.
The entire atmosphere from the ground floor to the 3rd floor seems to be harmonious and simple, which is completely different from the gloomy and horrifying underground building.
It's hard to believe that such a wide variety of research is taking place above ground, while the underground area follows an entirely different theme.
It could be said that the labs above are where humans are doing their experiments, and the underground lab simply gives the feeling of the den of a demon.
Other than the ultra-high-tech globe, there are few other things in this underground lab that it has to offer.
Moving to the far right side of the lab, a towering bird statue stood prominently.
It appeared to be crafted from a metal with silver and white textures, yet it did not seem like an ordinary alloy.
The material exuded a sense of remarkable elasticity and tenacity, almost felt alive with its unearthly resilience.
What was even more peculiar was the hollow entrance at the center of the bird's chest.
Inside, a sternum bone was embedded—or rather, engraved—with strange golden-silver markings on it, as if naturally inscribed.
A fiery yet cool aura radiated from the statue, enveloping it in mysterious vibes, an almost otherworldly presence.
At last, as the point of view shifted to the left side, it is evident that the area was dedicated to experimentation.
The space was filled with numerous advanced, high-tech machines, and at its center stood a tall, imposing frame wall, dominating the scene with an air of strangeness.
It wasn't the wall itself that was unsettling, but the figure hanging from it.
Thick chains passed through his flesh, and rather than simply being restrained, he seemed sewn directly into the wall, as if part of it.
Most of the wall was splattered with blood, and the grim figure hanging in the center was also soaked in it.
His right leg appeared bent at an unnatural angle, further adding to the eeriness compelled from his sorry state.
Blood dripped from his head and mouth, while his semi-closed eyes shed tears of blood.
His emaciated body was scarred and frail, with a faint charred opening near his heart oozing with purplish black blood, clearly hinting at deeper wounds.
Another brutal scar covers the upper left side of his chest and extends to his left arm.
The scar wasn't from a blunt or sharp weapon, but resembled a lightning strike across his body.
Veins along his left chest, from his heart to his arm, were apparent, as if a brutal electric current had passed through, turning them a reddish-black.
Upon carefully examining the scar at a closer distance, a thin, dark, intricately round metal rod still could be seen protruding out of the chest of this victim, striking perilously close to the heart.
It was unmistakably a brutal, yet precise stab!
Definitely for a specific purpose~
With so many scars and under such conditions, an ordinary person—let alone to endure this unimaginable pain and torment, even! might have already fainted from the gruesome sight simply by standing here.
It in itself is a miracle that he still drew shallow and inaudible breaths.
His half-open ghostly green eyes revealed a quiet fire burning within—a silent defiance, just like a lone wolf that spoke plainly to his tormentor; he refused to give up, refused to die this way!
[Note: Currently, we are discussing the region adjoining the north side of the Kingdom of Lusreia, and it's further backed by the winter mountains and rivers with a far and wide stretched Snow forest, which further leads to the land of Absolute Cold. The Kingdom of Lusreia has multiple climatic regions: To the north, it further stretches to the North Domain. To the East, it is connected with the Uguai Forest Range, which is further connected to the vastest forest and mountain range of the whole continent - the Ancient Calamity Forest (you can imagine the Amazon, but its scale is many times expanded). To the southern side, it is bordered by another country/kingdom. Lastly, further towards the Westward it is bordered by the lands of an Empire.]
[1] Check note at the end of the chapter for better understanding