Rael Skyes stood tall in his large, dark chamber, staring out through a massive glass wall. Far in the distance, the wasteland stretched endlessly, dry and lifeless.
One of his men entered the room quietly.
"Any new info on Kaden Mercer?" Rael asked without turning around.
"Yes, my Lord," the man replied. He walked closer and held out a tablet, showing pictures from a recent battle.
"These are from Cinder Fall. Kaden and his group fought the Shade Queen there. They've been moving through different zones, actually the fought so many shades across four zones before reaching cinderfall. The shade queen from Cinder fall lives in the ghost city. it looks like they had a serious confrontation with that one too."
Rael finally turned to face him, eyes narrowing.
"Hm. So Kaden Mercer keeps finding himself in trouble with Shades," he said calmly. "I still don't understand his mission. Why would he go after a powerful being like a Shade?"
Without saying more, Rael walked over to a glass panel and touched it. The glass slid open with a soft hum, and he stepped through into another dimension hidden within the tower.
This new place looked like a giant hall. All around them, strange creatures, Shades of many shapes and sizes were trapped inside tall glass cylinders. They looked asleep, their faces frozen, as if stuck in a dream or nightmare.
Rael walked slowly, dragging his hand across the glass surface of one containment cylinder. The translucent barrier was cold beneath his fingertips. Behind him, the other man followed in silence, boots echoing softly in the sterile chamber.
"For a while now, I've been capturing and studying the Shades," Rael said, his voice low, almost reverent. He paused to peer inside the cylinder, eyes reflecting the dark silhouette within. "as we know the shade They're strong... too strong. They can't die easily. The only way to kill one completely is to slice it into chunks. That's the only way."
He exhaled, shaking his head slowly. "But it takes so much to bring them down. Still, I'm not interested in killing them." He turned and glanced over his shoulder, his expression unreadable. "It's still a mystery to me how this virus mutates humans into something so... magnificent. Like the Shades."
His hand curled into a fist against the glass. "It's made me curious hungry to run tests on this shades. This is were Kaden comes in too, his immunity will play a vital role. Humans vs Shades in my new world order, leaving in harmony"
The man behind him stiffened, his brow furrowed. Rael continued, pacing slowly along the row of cylinders.
"I need to compare the analysis of Kaden DNA with that of a Shade," he said, gesturing vaguely as though he could already see the data scrolling through the air. "I don't know a better time to capture him than now."
He stopped walking and lifted his chin slightly, as if listening to something distant. "I can feel the world calling to me. It's like I was born to witness this era... to restore what was lost."
Silence fell between them, heavy and full of unspoken conflict. Then Rael turned, his eyes sharp with conviction.
"I am desperate to build a world where Shades and humans can live together in peace." His gaze darkened. "I need Kaden Mercer" Rael whispered
He stared through the glass again, and the reflection that looked back at him was not quite human anymore.
Rael paused, then said with interest, "Funny enough, Kaden is immune to the virus. He's like a Shade, but still human."
He started pacing, his voice growing more serious.
"I can't wait to understand him his DNA, how it works. Maybe truly it can help me create this world I so much desire, where no one dies. A world where only the strong survive, and weak humans are wiped out."
He smirked wickedly, eyes filled with ambition.
"I want Kaden Mercer immediately. Capture him and bring him to me." he said Firmly
"What about the others?" the man asked.
"Who?" Rael responded with a raised brow.
"There are three others. Cambria Frost, Eliya Ward, and Ryder Cyrus. They've been with Kaden since the ghost city."
Rael chuckled lightly. "Oh, them. They might be valuable too. After all, they're with Kaden for a reason. Value attracts value, don't you think?"
"Sure," the man nodded.
As they spoke, two scientists in white lab coats walked in. Rael lifted a hand, signaling his soldier to leave. The man bowed and exited without a word.
"Gentlemen," Rael greeted the scientists as they approached.
One of the scientists stepped forward, holding a clipboard.
"Every time they start to wake up, I sedate them again. But it won't work forever. Eventually, the Shades will stop reacting to the sedation," he said with concern.
"For now, keep trying," Rael replied. "We've already been able to control many of them. Soon, the Earth will be cleared of wild Shades. That's when my new world will begin."
The lead scientist frowned slightly. "Do you ever stop to think how many Shades are still out there? You can't capture all of them."
"That's not the point," Rael replied, brushing off the warning. "Anyway, the new machine is almost ready. It will read the signals from the Shades and turn them into words. We'll finally understand them."
The scientist looked doubtful. "How sure are you that it will work?"
Rael's tone turned sharp. "Stop asking stupid questions. These Shades were once human. They changed evolved. If we understand their language, we'll learn everything."
He turned away, eyes glowing with power and vision.
"We would have to wake a tamed Shade to test the machine," Rael said, standing with his arms crossed.
The scientist had a worried look on his face. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"That's risky. The Shade could do something wrong," he said, frowning.
Rael stepped closer, his voice rising with anger. "It's tamed! Why are you doubting our work?" he snapped, his eyes sharp.
The scientist shifted uncomfortably. "They were mutated to be wild… We should just be careful," he replied quietly.
Rael turned away from him, clearly annoyed. He waved his hand like he was done listening.
"Well, we have a new human on our trail. He'll be brought here soon. You can experiment on him," Rael said, looking toward the lab doors.
The scientist raised an eyebrow. "What's so special about this human that I need to experiment on him?"
Rael sighed, already tired of the scientist's endless doubts. "I'll tell you everything in due time," he muttered, not meeting the scientist's eyes.
He pressed a button on the ear pod clipped to his ear. "Bring it in," he said firmly.
A moment later, a large machine was wheeled into the room. It buzzed softly and had blinking lights.
The scientist's eyes widened in shock. He stepped back a little.
"We're going to wake a Shade and test it. Now," Rael said, his voice calm but serious.
"You mean… now?" the scientist asked, his voice shaking.
"Yes. Now. We need to understand the Shade," Rael said, walking slowly toward the machine. "Every Shade has a story to tell. They were once human. We must give them a chance, shouldn't we?"
The scientist hesitated, then spoke again. "I still think this isn't the right time."
Rael's eyes burned with anger. He suddenly grabbed the scientist by the collar and pushed him against the wall. The scientist gasped and coughed, struggling.
"I am sick and tired of your constant refusals!" Rael shouted. "I built this place! I own it! What I say goes. If you refuse me again even with just a cough, I will have you taken out. Are we clear?"
The scientist, coughing hard, nodded quickly. "Y-Yes, sir…" he said weakly.
Rael let go of him and stepped back, breathing heavily.
The scientist scurried away, afraid. He rushed to prepare everything, hands shaking as he worked. He moved to the corner, where a Shade lay asleep on a metal bed. He pressed a few buttons, and the sedation stopped. The Shade twitched slightly. The scientist then connected the machine to the Shade's ears and the back of its head using thin, glowing wires. Small suction cups stuck to its skin, pulsing softly.
Hours passed.
The Shade lay still on the table. Its skin was pale. It groaned in pain, its eyes opening slowly. They shade looked around, wide and glassy like it's eyes were begging for something no one could understand.
Rael and the scientist watched the screen. The signal was on, but no data appeared. Just static lines and flickering lights.
The scientist glanced at Rael with an expression that said clearly, "I told you this wouldn't work."
Rael walked closer to the Shade, kneeling beside the table. He spoke softly.
"You're not saying anything. Talk to me. Express yourself. The machine will show us," he whispered, gently brushing his fingers across the Shade's arm.
For a long moment, there was silence.
Then, suddenly, the machine beeped. The signal lit up. Rael smiled. Lines of strange, encrypted text began to scroll across the screen.
Rael's smile faded. His eyes narrowed as he leaned in to read.
"I think it's messing with us… These words are encrypted, but they don't make any sense," he said, looking back at the Shade, then back at the screen.
He turned to the scientist. "What do you think?"
The scientist took a deep breath and stood straight, still nervous.
"With all due respect, sir… I still think this was a bad idea," he said quietly.
Suddenly unexpectedly the shade broke through from what held it down on the metal bed, it began to misbehave scattering everything.
"I knew this was a bad idea" the scientist said.
Rael skyes still standing watching the shade destroy important things within the lab