The air inside Chamber Zero was sterile, cold enough to bite into skin. The walls pulsed faintly with energy — a blend of technology so advanced that even the scientists operating the systems couldn't fully comprehend it.
At the center of the room, Mirshad lay suspended inside a transparent pod, his body covered in thin bio-gel, wires piercing into every muscle, every nerve, every bone. His breathing was shallow, but his mind was wide awake — his eyes flickering under closed lids.
The transformation had begun.
The first jolt came without warning — a surge of controlled electricity flooding his nervous system. Every muscle spasmed violently, his back arching inside the pod.
His bones vibrated, stretched, and cracked as microscopic machines injected into his bloodstream started breaking him down — molecule by molecule.
He wanted to scream, but the pod muted every sound.
Outside the glass, the doctors watched — some fascinated, some horrified.
Doctor:
"His bone density is increasing — 200%... no, 300%! His muscles are tearing and rebuilding at impossible speeds!"
But inside, Mirshad felt only agony.
His skin burned as layers peeled and regrew.
His chest felt like it would cave in, his ribs expanding wider than human limits.
Every second felt like death — but death never came.
Deep inside the pain, a voice called to him — not from outside, but from within.
Unknown Voice (whispering):
"You're not dying, boy. You're evolving."
"Stop fighting it. Become it."
The voice wasn't human — it was the voice of the power inside him, the power that had been locked away since the lightning strike before his birth.
This wasn't science alone.
This was fate demanding its vessel be reborn.
The machines focused first on his bones — tearing apart the natural calcium structure, replacing it with a synthetic alloy fused with his organic cells, making his skeleton denser than titanium but lighter than carbon.
His spine lengthened, his limbs stretched, every joint reinforced to withstand forces no human body could survive.
The pain was beyond comprehension.
But Mirshad never passed out — his power refused to let him escape the suffering.
Every muscle fiber was torn to shreds and rebuilt — not for human strength, but for predator strength.
His tendons hardened, his reflexes sharpened.
His heart — once human — now beat slower, more controlled, capable of pumping oxygen even in conditions no human could survive.
The scientists stared at the data.
Doctor:
"His muscle density is 600% over any recorded level... his heart rate is stable at 30 bpm even under trauma conditions... this isn't enhancement — this is reinvention!"
The final touch of Phase One was his skin — the layer between him and the world.
It was no longer skin.
It was a hybrid — softer than silk to touch, but capable of resisting blades, bullets, and even burns.
The bio-gel infused into his pores, creating an adaptive shield, reacting to impact by tightening or softening to absorb damage.
He was becoming something beautiful — and terrifying.
Behind the glass, Faisal stood with Rayyan, Malik, and Ameer.
Sara stood slightly behind them, her hands clasped together, trembling.
Sara:
"He's suffering... I can't watch this."
Faisal (quiet but firm):
"He needs to suffer. Without pain, there's no rebirth."
Malik:
"He's already stronger than anyone I've ever seen, and we're just getting started."
Ameer:
"Strength isn't enough. We need him to be untouchable — a ghost no one can match."
Rayyan (watching Faisal closely):
"He's not just a ghost, is he? You want him to be something even we can't control."
Faisal didn't answer — but the truth was in his eyes.
Inside the pod, Mirshad's body stopped shaking.
The pain didn't vanish — it became part of him, a second heartbeat.
His fingers flexed, his chest rose smoothly, and for the first time, his eyes opened inside the pod.
They were no longer just human eyes.
They flickered — the faint glow of a crimson hue, the first sign that the power inside him was awakening with him.
He wasn't a boy anymore.
He was the beginning of something the world wasn't ready for.
The screen above the pod flashed.
PHASE ONE: BODY RECONSTRUCTION COMPLETE.
STATUS: STABLE.
The doctors stepped back in disbelief.
Faisal whispered to himself — so softly no one else heard.
Faisal:
"Welcome back, son. Now, let's break your mind."