In this world, among the vast population, there exists a peculiar group.
If we look deep into the structure of society, we find a collective of people who exist to define the word "Truth." They are known simply as "Researchers." These individuals are like the gears that drive the world forward. However, a gear always has two sides—and I have only just realized that the world I've lived in for the past nine years harbors a shadow far darker than I ever imagined.
On the bright side, researchers are heroes in white coats, dedicated to humanity. They are those who strive to conquer incurable diseases, develop life-extending technologies, or create innovations that push our physical limits toward a more comfortable future. For them, the result of research is the smile and survival of their fellow men. They are proof that humans still possess a heart and the conscience to support one another.
But... where there is light, there is shadow. In the deepest darkness, there is another group of researchers who view the world in an entirely different light. To them, "humans" are not living beings with flesh, blood, or souls—they are merely "Data Sets" or worthless "Lumps of Experimental Meat" if they yield no interesting results.
These researchers are twisted rationalists. They are obsessed with shattering existing boundaries, indifferent to how cruel the methods may be. In their eyes, ethics are merely obstacles to progress, and morality is nothing more than a hindrance to their boundless curiosity.
Their labs aren't built to save lives; they are built to wring "potential" out of those miserable bodies. Whether it's injecting chemicals or performing biological-defying surgeries, they care for nothing but the "numbers" they desire. If an experiment fails, the being that once had a name and a breath is discarded like worthless bio-waste.
The true horror of this group is their indifference—a chilling apathy toward the pain of others that is more terrifying than any other form of evil. And it seems... the blissful life I thought I had for the past nine years has come to an end.
(One Year Later)
Has it been a year? Or more? Or perhaps not even that yet? Forget time... I don't even know if it's day or night. When you look up, all you see is a white ceiling. Ever since I became their lab rat, I can honestly say there hasn't been a moment worse than what I face daily. It is, quite literally, Hell on Earth.
Every hour, the agonizing screams of children echo through the halls. Those sounds are enough to drive you insane. The torment is so great that it breeds a desire for death even in children—myself included. The pain is simply beyond description.
"...."
Do you want to know what they're experimenting on to make children scream like that?
It's an injection into the spinal cord. But a mere injection wouldn't cause that much agony, right? You're right—if it were what normal hospitals use, it wouldn't be like this.
The problem is the substance they inject. It's a cell extract that would leave you speechless if you knew its origin. The first time you heard it, you might laugh because it sounds so absurd. But if you saw the truth they revealed, you wouldn't be able to laugh at all. It was a revelation that utterly shattered common sense.
(Flashback)
"Mister, why did you bring us here? Where are my parents?"
"Where is this place?"
"Sniff... sob..."
"Why are my hands and legs tied up?"
The children erupted in chaos as they regained full consciousness.
"Now, now, children. Calm down first. Uncle will explain everything."
The man spoke with a playful tone, a bright smile plastered on his face. It made some of the children relax, but it didn't work on someone like me. Living a solitary life in my previous existence allowed me to see right through the masks humans wear.
Eyes never lie. And what reflected in his eyes was... Amusement? Excitement?
"My name is Professor Fergus. You can call me Uncle Fergus. This is my home. As for why I brought you here... well, I want to try an experiment~" the man replied.
"Experiment?" a boy muttered in confusion.
"That's right! I want to test you with my project. It's called the 'X-Class' project, which I am about to create starting now!" the man shouted, spreading his arms wide before the children as if they were the results he had been dreaming of.
X-Class? I've heard that before... what is it?
"What is the X-Class project?" a girl asked. she seemed unusually calm.
"Oh~ don't be in such a rush. Before I answer that, let me ask you all something. Do you believe in the supernatural?" The man continued to speak in a light, jovial tone.
"Eh? You mean ghosts?"
"Maybe spirits?"
"Hahahaha~! That's part of it. But what I mean are Magic, Devils, Fallen Angels, Dragons, Yokai, and Gods. Did you know? All of these things actually exist~"
"...."
"...."
"Pffft—hahaha!"
"Hahaha!" The children laughed at his nonsense.
Wait, seriously? Is he joking? As I said, eyes don't lie. And what I felt from his gaze was... the truth?
"Mister! Are you crazy? How could those things—"
"Milla." Before the child could finish, he called her name.
"Yes."
—WHOOSH!!
"..!!!" ×20
After Milla answered, what appeared before them were... wings? They sprouted from her back—skeletal, curved bone structures spreading out like giant fingers. Each segment was connected by a thin, dark membrane resembling leather that faintly caught the surrounding light. When fully unfurled, the wings spanned several times Milla's height, like a shroud of shadows covering the space behind her. The edges were jagged, giving them a raw, feral, and imperfect biological feel.
"Ha.. ha.. it's just a magic trick to fool kids—"
"Milla," he called her again.
"Yes." Milla raised a hand and opened her palm... a fireball manifested within it. She then fired it at a mannequin standing in the center of the room.
BOOM!!
The mannequin was blown into smithereens.
"....." ×20 (Stunned silence). No one could utter a word, myself included. My brain couldn't process the image fast enough.
"Now then~ children, listen up." He seemed to revel in the children's terrified faces.
Once they regained their senses, they turned toward the professor with faces full of dread.
"You've seen it now, haven't you? This world has the supernatural. All the legends some of you have studied are real. But what you see is just a tiny fragment of the truth hidden beneath the mask of this world." Professor Fergus paced the hall, his footsteps echoing like the approaching sound of death.
"The world we live in isn't ruled solely by the human species. In the shadows, three great powers have held a balance for thousands of years... Devils, rulers of Hell with pitch-black wings and frantic magic; Fallen Angels, those cast out of Heaven with dimmed wings and powerful spears of light; and Angels, the ones in Heaven you've heard about in bedtime stories. These three sides fought a war of attrition until they were nearly extinct... But that is our opportunity!"
He spewed these words with the demeanor of a madman. Some children stared blankly. Fergus's eyes burned with insanity as he pointed at Milla, the girl with the devil wings.
"Milla isn't a pure-blooded Devil. She's human... just like you. But she is a success of the 'Evil Pieces' system that has been modified. Humans like us have pathetic physical limitations, but we have the greatest gift bestowed by God... something called a Sacred Gear!"
He continued his tirade, explaining things far beyond the comprehension of children their age. He spread his arms wide, his voice trembling with excitement.
"It is a miracle embedded in the souls of certain humans. It can summon weapons or powers that tear through the laws of physics. Some may have healing powers, others may create eternal flames, or even... the power of Dragons. The Five Dragon Kings, or even the Two Heavenly Dragons that the world fears. This power is what will allow humans to transcend their limits and become Gods!"
Many children began to tremble. An uncomfortable silence settled as the 'twisted' truth was laid bare.
"But then again... Sacred Gears aren't in everyone. And even if they are, they might awaken in a weak form. That's why I had to create this X-Class project—to 'accelerate' and 'modify' you! I will inject extracts from the cells of various races into your spinal cords. The birth of a New Human Species!!"
A chill ran straight to my core. Cell extracts from the corpses of supernatural beings? This wasn't medical treatment. This was the forceful imposition of monstrosity into human bodies.
"You will become enhanced humans more powerful than true Devils. Some of you might not endure it; your bodies will collapse and explode into lumps of flesh... That is a normal sacrifice for progress! But if you survive... you will touch a power that can erase an entire mountain, feel the mana flowing in the air, and perhaps possess power equal to a Maou (Demon King) or a God!"
Fergus laughed loudly. The lab was brilliantly lit by the cold, sterile glow of neon lights.
The word "Magic" that once sounded beautiful in novels now smelled of blood and pungent chemicals. The reality crashing down before me was too cruel to bear. A world of Dragons, Devils, and Angels... it wasn't a peaceful world. It was a battlefield. And we—the children chained here—were just tiny pawns forced to become biological weapons in human skin.
"Now... begin Phase Two! Prepare the electrical stimulators to support the cells... let's see who will be the first 'piece' to evolve!"
The screams around me began again, accompanied by a searing heat at my spine that erupted like boiling lava flowing through my nerves... My consciousness began to fade.
"Oh~ I forgot to mention. The reason you're here in the first place? Your parents were the ones who gave me their consent from the start—"
Father? Mother?
And then, my consciousness went dark.
(Present)
"..."
It's exactly as you see. And now, instead of the screams of children, there is only the sound of emptiness. Wondering why? Because two-thirds are no longer in this room. Where did they go? They are likely in a far-off place where we will never meet again.
As for those who remain, can you even call us alive? Some have become horrific lumps of flesh, some are brain-damaged, and some have strange scales across their bodies. Their transformations are far worse than mine. As for me? Externally, I haven't changed much...
I turned toward the mirror on the wall. The reflection was of a boy more haggard than before. My once pure black hair now had white streaks in the front. I don't know if it's from the injected cells or the stress. But the most certain side effect is my eye. My left eye, which should be black-brown, has turned a brilliant gold-yellow. You might think it looks cool, but let me tell you—this eye burns. Sometimes it itches so intensely, as if something is crawling inside it...
Yes, the exterior isn't the main issue—it's the mental state. Right now, I might as well be a corpse.
"Professor, it seems Subject Number 10 didn't make it either," a woman's voice said, unchanged as always.
"Ah, I see. Dispose of it." The man's words held no pity or sympathy—only indifference and irritation. "Dammit, why does it keep failing... I don't understand, the process should be correct... Next!"
"Professor, it seems the only one capable of continuing is Subject Number 8."
"Hmm?" He turned toward the survivors and stopped at me.
"..." I didn't flinch or panic. All I felt was emptiness.
"Hmm... the external body hasn't changed much... alright! Flip Subject 8 over. We begin the final process!"
I didn't resist as they turned me onto my stomach.
"Beginning injection of Prime Mutagen-Alpha. Prepare yourself. 3... 2... 1... Inject!"
The sensation that followed was suffocation. It was hot—violently hotter than anything before.
"..Ugh... ack.." I let out a choked groan.
"Professor! The pulse is abnormally fast!"
"Inject the suppressor!"
"Yes, sir!"
"This is it! The time has come for the world to welcome a new species! Be glad, Number 8! From now on, you shall show the world—"
Before he could finish his sentence...
BOOM!! THUD!! BOOM!!
A series of explosions shook the basement facility.
"..What's happening!!" he shouted in panic.
"Professor! We have intruders!!"
"What!! Milla, check the CCTV, quickly!!"
"Yes!"
What appeared on the monitor were three intruders. But the terrifying part was who they were. One was a silver-haired woman in a maid outfit, radiating a chilling atmosphere. Another was a green-haired man with an equally powerful aura. But the most striking was the third man—a man with crimson hair reaching his shoulders. The aura he emitted was as formidable as a Maou... no, that is a Maou.
"A Maou!!! How!! No one should know about this place!! Dammit! What do I do! My years of work... must it end here!!"
"Professor! They'll be here in ten minutes!"
"Dammit! Curse it! Curse it!..." He screamed in frustration before regaining his senses. "..No! I can start over as long as I'm alive!... You lot! Clear all the data logs! Don't leave a single shred of evidence!"
After they destroyed the evidence...
"Milla! Lead the way to the secret exit!!"
"Yes."
"Professor, what about Subject 8?"
"Leave him! He won't survive anyway without continuous suppressor injections."
The sound of their running footsteps faded away.
"...Ugh... ha... ha... I... must... escape..." I whispered hoarsely.
I tried to push myself off the bed with my weakened body. I stood up on trembling legs, staggering toward the front door... but unfortunately, halfway there, my body hit its limit. I pitched forward. I expected the cold, hard floor...
But what I felt instead was a softness greater than any bed. A scent of fresh laundry soap that felt like home.
And then, the screen went black.