Crackle!
Lightning tore the sky.
The wind blew, the sea raged, waves slammed into the destroyed coast.
A fishy, salty scent lingered throughout the city, occasionally mingling with rot and the metallic scent of blood.
A tower stood in the center of the city.
Dark, gloomy.
Demons roamed the ground.
Tall, skinny demons.
Their feet scraped against the ground, dark skin hung from them.
The eyes were hollow, and the arms hung to the side, ending in razor-sharp claws that dragged along the ground.
The city spanned hundreds of miles, yet it was all in ruins.
Only mountains of rubble remained, a testament to the once-prosperous city. Eidolon.
SPLASH!
The waves slammed on the coast.
Green, scaly-skinned creatures lurked in the sea.
Their webbed feet and arms moved, and their cheeks puffed and deflated.
They resembled humans, but were not. Fish-people.
...
Deep underwater, at the bottom of the sea.
The sea floor near the city was covered in glass.
Fallen debris and massive boulders weighed on the glass, but it held on without even cracking.
In the distance, far from the city, in the center of the sea, a tower lay on the sea floor.
Dozens, no, hundreds of fish-people circled the tip.
The water bubbled, waves surged, and fish-people fell from the massive group, descending onto the sea floor.
Dead from exhaustion.
The dead body of the fish man shone, turning into a green, crystal-like stone.
Hundreds of crystals lay on the sea floor around the tower, glowing.
Yet the massive group of fishmen didn't stop.
As if they were mesmerized, with only one purpose: to die and turn into crystals.
...
Beneath the glass of the sea floor, a maze of corridors extended.
Darkness ruled the maze.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Hysterical laughter rebounded off the walls.
The maze led to a room.
A man stood at the center.
Blood stained his white coat.
His oily, black hair reached his waist.
Slap!
His palm spread across his young face.
Madness flashed in his green eyes.
Madness threatening to erupt.
The entire body of the scientist trembled in excitement - excitement from the sight before him.
Massive tubes extended from the ground to the ceiling. Dozens of tubes.
Bodies floated in the green luminous liquid.
Children, women, men, and even the elderly.
The entire room lit in green.
"Finally..."
A wide, mad smile crept up the young scientist's face.
"The key missing factor...is MANA!"
His voice trembled, breaking. He couldn't contain his excitement.
"Now...Who can stop me!!!"
He opened his arms wide, as if inviting the entire world to stop him.
"My experiments, my children are complete! The perfect formula is in my hands! Not even the demons can stop my army of genetically modified superhumans!"
The scientist's pupils darted wildly.
"Be ready to face my army,"
Determination, madness, excitement, a myriad of emotions flashed in his eyes.
But they all faded; only bloodlust remained.
Beeep! Beeep!
With a single button, the entire laboratory erupted in red.
"My babies, awaken. Awaken and show those who abandoned you their mistake. Show the Triumvirate their mistake! Make them regret!"
Warning sirens tore the air.
The green liquid from the tubes drained.
He was setting the experiments free.
"Even the Triumvirate shall tremble before me!"
.
.
.
In the military base.
The medics attended to the commander.
As Vivian expected, he had collapsed from exhaustion, but his injury was bad.
They bandaged his entire torso so he could stay still and let his rib heal.
Then, they escorted him his room on a stretcher.
Vivian stayed by his side for a while, but responsibilities weighed her down.
With the commander unconscious, his responsibilities fell on her.
Creeak!
She opened the door.
A soldier stood guard before the room.
"Summon the council members,"
She ordered grimly, pushing her glasses back.
"YES!"
The soldier stomped his feet, saluted, then stormed away.
Her short red hair swayed as she stepped forward. Her boots struck against the floor; the dual pistols on her waist, one at each side, swayed as she moved.
But her expression remained cold as she approached the council room.
The council members gathered, only missing the commander.
The meeting started.
Vivian announced everything.
It shook the council members.
The entire room shook.
A fight broke out.
Marcus attacked the governor, blaming him. His corrupt officials, his greedy ways. He intended to kill him. But Lucian's barriers prevented Marcus' lightning from reaching him.
The other members joined, blaming the governor.
They were disgusted and angered by the inhuman experiments.
The entire council turned against the governor.
'I knew this would happen,'
The governor gritted his teeth but his expression remained unchanged.
'Well, it's better for the council to be against me than for the people of the entire base to turn against me,'
In this situation, he could only choose the lesser evil.
'It will push back my plans to rival or even overthrow the commander, but this way, there is still hope,'
He could only accept the situation.
If the people learned he was involved in those experiments, he would lose all chances, power, and influence. But like this, he could slowly rebuild his trust with the council members.
While the council members fought, Vivian remained seated, her expression stoic.
But her eyes remained sharp; they shone with a strange light.
Unnoticable, a line of blood rolled from her nose.
She quickly wiped it away.
BANG!
A gun tore the air.
Vivian's gun smoked.
Silence descended.
"Sit,"
Her voice carried murderous intent, bringing fear. It was even more commanding than the commander.
"Fighting and blaming won't get us anywhere." She spoke. "Many saw us bringing the equipment, especially the container with the child. What do we tell the public?"
The council members calmed down.
They finally focused on the council meeting agenda.
A long debate resumed.
.
.
.
The time passed, and soon, night fell.
The council meeting concluded.
A decision was made—a decision to deceive the public.
A simple explanation: They found the child on the way back. The tube is a special healing technology retrieved from the secret laboratory.
It was simple, but reasonable and easily acceptable.
.
.
.
The day passed.
Vincent spent his time eating, hydrating, and recovering his strength.
Now, he had a goal in mind.
Rescue survivors.
Livia helped him draft a map.
Mapped the area and marked special places that might have survived and have resources or possible survivors.
A total of nine locations.
Determination flashed in Vincent's eyes.
'Tomorrow, I'll start checking those places. If there are survivors, I'll take them back. If there are resources, I'll plunder them.'
Last time, his safety crumbled with the meeting of just one demon.
This time, he was determined to build a safe shelter, protect Livia, and rescue survivors.
He won't repeat the mistake from last time.