Kenzo had only one desire; to leave this oppressive place, this damp and dark dungeon where every second spent seemed to gnaw a little more at his sanity. His wrists, bruised by the chains, trembled at the thought of a new hope… even if that hope led straight into the unknown.
– « Follow me. » declared the warden in a strangely gentle voice.
That single word was enough to shatter any resistance left in him. Every syllable carried by the warden's voice resonated like a spell, invading his mind, dissolving his will. He followed the man without asking a question, filled with a strange serenity.
They left the dungeon corridor and entered another passage. This one was bathed in a dull light cast by ancient torches whose glow flickered weakly against moldy walls. The stones, disjointed and damp, oozed a dark liquid. The smell of confinement and rotting flesh hung in the air. At the far end, another wooden door awaited them, as old as it was sinister.
Kenzo frowned. Even if this was an alternate version of the past, the state of decay of this place didn't fit the idea of an official structure. This had to be a clandestine location, hidden far from eyes and laws alike. The farther he went, the more certain he became: whatever was happening here was illegal.
At the end of the corridor, the warden opened the door without a word.
Behind it lay a spiral staircase carved directly into the stone. The floor was slippery beneath their feet, damp and uneven, and black vines hung from the ceiling like witches' fingers. As they descended, the light grew colder, almost bluish. Ancient runes were engraved along the walls, emitting faint pulses of light as they passed, as if reacting to the warden's presence.
At last, they reached an iron door marked with a symbol: a circle pierced by a broken spear.
The warden placed his hand on the door, and it opened with a painful creak. What Kenzo saw beyond froze him to the core.
The laboratory was one in name only.
The room was vast, but poorly lit. Along the walls hung chains, hooks, and tools from another era, all stained with dried blood. A metallic smell lingered in the air—overpowering, nauseating. Several beds were lined up along one side, covered with white sheets smeared with red. Some formed unmistakable human silhouettes, motionless. Failures… Kenzo thought.
– « Would it be better to die here, or to die in the hunt…? »
He had no desire to know the answer.
At the center of the room, two individuals awaited them. They wore long, stained white tunics, covered by brown leather aprons. Their faces were hidden behind metal masks, and on their arms, black armbands identical to the warden's radiated the same dangerous aura.
– « Ah, there you are, number forty-four. Set him up. » ordered one of the alchemists in a monotone voice.
The warden nodded and led Kenzo to a wooden table. It was fitted with mechanisms allowing it to tilt in every direction, like a modern instrument of crucifixion. Without emotion, the warden removed Kenzo's chains… only to immediately replace them with restraints at his wrists and ankles, firmly fixed to the table.
– « Leave now. » ordered the other alchemist, whose softer, almost melodic voice hinted at feminine tones.
Kenzo soon found himself completely naked, exposed, vulnerable, lying on the cold table. He was trembling—not from cold, but from fear.
– « Good… your new Heart isn't being rejected. We can proceed to the next step. »
The two alchemists moved away. One headed toward the beds, lifting a sheet to reveal what looked like a lifeless body. The female alchemist, meanwhile, opened a door at the back of the room.
At once, an abominable stench poured out. A pestilent odor, similar to that of the Void Creature that guarded the dungeons at night. She returned holding something.
A heart.
An enormous heart, dark violet-black, faintly pulsating as if it refused to die.
– « A Void Creature's Heart… » Kenzo thought, sickened.
The male alchemist, for his part, held a human heart. A deep red, still warm. Perhaps it had come from one of the bodies on the beds.
– « What are you going to do to me? » Kenzo asked, his voice trembling.
– « Oh… don't worry, poor child. We are going to make you a being as powerful as the Chosen, so that you may serve our God. » replied the alchemist in an almost affectionate tone.
– « Only if it works… » added the female alchemist with a laugh that pierced through her mask, icy and sadistic. – « You are our last subject. If you fail as well, you'll join all the others for a final hunt. »
Kenzo tried to speak, to protest, but the woman suddenly stepped closer.
– « However, I do not appreciate you daring to address us. »
She pressed a cloth soaked in a nauseating liquid over his mouth, gagging him. Then she took a ball and forced it inside, preventing him from screaming.
Each alchemist took hold of a long tube ending in a massive needle. They pierced both hearts simultaneously. A thick, dark liquid slowly flowed through the tubes, and they injected it into Kenzo.
Blinding pain tore through him.
His muscles convulsed, his veins felt on the verge of bursting. He screamed inwardly, but no sound escaped his lips. He was suffocating—suffocating from the inside.
The tubes began to glow. Two distinct flows surged into him: one white and pure, coming from the human Heart… the other violet and dark, like a living curse, emanating from the Void Creature's Heart.
The two lights clashed within him.
His chest felt as though it were tearing apart. His insides burned. A searing heat devoured him. He lost all sense of time, space, of his own body.
And finally, he lost consciousness.
…
He didn't know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes. Everything was blurry. His body felt foreign, heavy,yet… alive.
– « Ah, you're back with us. Congratulations. You didn't die during the process, and your Heart held. »
Kenzo was panting. He didn't understand what he was feeling… but he was alive. Alive.
– « I'm going to make it… » he thought, tears filling his eyes.
But the female alchemist stepped forward, a sharp instrument in hand. She lightly cut his arm, collected a few drops of blood into a vial, then stepped back. The other alchemist took a tablet covered in strange inscriptions.
They poured the blood onto the tablet. Nothing happened.
A crushing silence settled in.
Then Kenzo felt it; the deep, explosive anger of the male alchemist. His mask couldn't hide the tremors of rage shaking him. Beside him, the woman burst into laughter. A shrill, cruel laugh that rose through the room like a blade.
They spoke in unison:
– « Failure. »