Another experiment

Dr. Frostwind scanned the faces of the participants before speaking, his voice calm but firm. "The competition is over. Ayan, having been disqualified, will bear the appropriate punishment, while Sara will receive her reward." His eyes locked onto Ayan. "Come with us. It's time to test your body's capacity and adjust your robe's weight."

Reluctantly, Ayan followed, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on him. They returned to the familiar testing machine, where the previous evaluations had taken place. Ayan stood still as the machinery whirred to life, scanning his body.

"Sir," an assistant called from the console, "his body capacity has increased to 50 kilograms. The current base weight of the robe is 25 kilograms. How much should I increase it to?"

Dr. Frostwind, without even a glance, replied, "Set it to 105 kilograms."

The assistant's expression flickered with surprise, but she quickly nodded in compliance. Ayan, on the other hand, felt a brief moment of relief. Although the new weight was over double his capacity, it was still far less extreme than the fourfold increase he'd faced before.

When the newly adjusted robe was fitted on him, Ayan could feel the intense pressure instantly. His muscles strained, his bones seemed to ache under the weight, but he moved. Slowly, yes, but it wasn't the unbearable, turtle-like crawl he had experienced before. He could move with a purpose, albeit at a deliberate pace.

Just as he began to adjust to the weight, Dr. Frostwind made an announcement that sent chills through the group. "Next, we begin pain and resistance training."

Groans and sighs spread through the participants like wildfire. Even Sara, usually stoic, allowed a flicker of discomfort to cross her face, which only served to deepen Ayan's anxiety. If Sara could frown at this, what hope did he have?

They were led to a cold, sterile room lined with imposing machines and several metal chairs. The hum of technology buzzed ominously in the background. Ayan's nerves kicked in, and he reluctantly took his place in one of the seats. His heart raced as electrodes were attached to various points on his body, and a helmet-like device, covered in wires, was placed over his head. The helmet blocked out his sight, sound, and even smell, plunging him into a sensory void, like a futuristic prison.

Despite his apprehension, Ayan reassured himself that at least there weren't any needles involved this time. His relief was short-lived as the assistant approached with a syringe. "This will administer a safe intoxicating drug to help with the process."

Ayan's reluctance was obvious, but with little choice, he nodded. As the drug entered his system, his nerves began to calm, and a strange euphoria spread throughout his body. His thoughts became foggy, and soon, he drifted into a trance-like state, his mind swimming in a sea of hallucinations.

In the control room, Dr. Frostwind monitored the participants closely, but his attention lingered on Ayan. He leaned toward the operator. "Induce Ayan into the strongest levels of pain. We need to awaken the latent bloodlines within him, and only intense emotion will achieve that."

The operator hesitated, looking at Ayan's data. "Sir, are you sure? His body—"

"Do it," Dr. Frostwind snapped, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

As the machine began its torturous simulation, Ayan's body convulsed. His mind, still trapped in hallucinations, was plunged into a chaotic spiral of fear, pain, and confusion. His muscles tensed, and his skin prickled as though electricity surged through him. But this was no ordinary pain. This was designed to tear down mental and physical barriers, to push him beyond his limits.

Dr. Frostwind's mind was elsewhere, recalling the incident from the previous experiment when the machine had exploded. The security footage had shown a dark, swirling energy seeping out of Ayan's body—an unknown force that had baffled even the most experienced researchers. That energy was the key. It was the first sign of a powerful, dormant bloodline tied to darkness.

At that moment, Dr. Frostwind had attempted to accelerate the process, using a darkness-attributed treasure to coax the energy out. However, instead of stimulating the bloodline, the darkness within Ayan had reacted violently, absorbing the entire treasure's power in one swift motion. What should have been an awakening had nearly destroyed the lab, much to Dr. Frostwind's fury.

Determined not to fail again, he had brought forth a rare and potent light-attributed treasure, hoping to suppress the dark bloodline with its opposing energy. What happened next had shaken even Dr. Frostwind's composure. As soon as the light treasure made contact with Ayan, another bloodline surged forth—this time, one tied to light. It had consumed the treasure's energy just as the dark bloodline had done with its counterpart.

"Two bloodlines..." Dr. Frostwind muttered to himself in disbelief as he watched the footage. "Both light and dark, existing within the same body."

These weren't just ordinary treasures; they were unique, rare artifacts, some of the few that could function within this secluded world. They were precious beyond measure, and yet, Ayan's body had absorbed their power in an instant.

The consequences of that moment were visible even now—Ayan's body had been battered and bruised from the partial awakening, yet it had also grown stronger. The energy from both treasures had seeped into his very bones, reinforcing his muscles, hardening his skin, and enhancing his overall power. But the process was incomplete. Without full control over these bloodlines, Ayan remained a ticking time bomb.

As Dr. Frostwind stared at Ayan's trembling form in the chair, he knew the boy's potential was unlike anything he had ever encountered. But the potential was useless without control.

"Separate him from the rest and increase the intensity," Dr. Frostwind ordered coldly, his eyes never leaving Ayan.

The operator swallowed hard but obeyed, adjusting the controls. The room seemed to darken as the machine whirred louder, feeding Ayan's body more pain, and forcing his bloodlines to respond. But this time, Dr. Frostwind watched carefully, waiting for the moment when light and darkness would clash.

Suddenly, both dark and bright lights appeared around Ayan's body clearly separating it in half.

The operator suddenly exclaimed in fear, "Sir, the machine attached to Ayan is not responding properly."

"What?" Dr. Frostwind roared. "How can it suddenly malfunction?"

He hurriedly ran to another room and opened several locks and safeguards to finally enter a chamber with a table and a strange stone emitting an ominous aura with several lights as if showing an illusion. In front of his eyes, the stone visibly dimmed and slowly became like any other stone.

The previous two treasures were something he could get by even if he had to face a lot of trouble. But, the damage to the black stone this time had a far-reaching consequence, even concerning his life.

He ordered people to quickly take Ayan out of the machine but an unusual field of mist appeared around his body. Anybody who went a few meters close to him was affected by the illusions losing consciousness.

Frustrated, Dr. Frostwind could only wait for the energy to dissipate and retrieve Ayan's body whether dead or alive.