1 The Unsuccessful Project

*Alarm*

The siren went like crazy and the cave corridor was in chaos. The cells containing unknown, deformed beasts or men, were giving of growl. The men dressed in a simple lab coat was running through the dark. Whether armed or not the flow of living was in the same direction.

"Ha ha, what happened?" The man was out of shape but moved with the flow.

The one beside him wasn't in any good shape either, "The sample 27 reacted, is going through a metamorphosis."

"Wh…" The shock got tangled with the lack of breath, it took some time before he could say it again, "That was an old specimen."

"That is why it is so important. If we could understand why it reacted, we might be able to tap into the potential of mages, or we might even create one who can control four elements at once." Even those small eyes behind the eye bags were shining.

It wasn't just them, even the security was moving too. Metamorphosis can go wrong in a blink. Last time one went out of control it had cost more than twelve lives. So the authority wasn't willing to take chances.

The room was small and there were too many stasis pods. Most of them had deformed beast head, a body of the failed dead fish-like creature inside them, but none of them was alive. All of them were dead, all but one. The pod was at the end of the room, contained a black blob inside and it was beating.

At first, it was slow and it was hard to notice. But today one of the apprentice mages, who came in to collect some old data caught the change in the stasis pod. He informed the higher authority and they wanted to take it into one of the labs, but it was too late.

So they have hastily set equipment. Put the stasis pod in the middle of [7 triangles dark-eyed protection array], just in case something went wrong.

The magus knights were on standby, with several apprentice-level mages. With such a line up it wouldn't be hard to siege a fort, much less a stasis pod.

...but what makes humans fearful is the unknown. Wands at the ready, the weapons' edges were glowing in the magic when

*Boom*

There wasn't any quake or loud sound, but each and every one of them can feel the beating of the blob in their heart. It was resonating with each one of them. Grips on the weapons tightened but nothing unusual happened.

The blob started to spread in the pod, dividing and merging nonstop. The endless cycle continued who knows for how long. The blob was squirming in the pod, struggling like one who was drowning. Nailless tentacles were trying to scratch the pod.

"Why are we wasting time here? It is already time for sample 227 and 236 to wake up. Shouldn't we spend time there?" The one who asked the question was new in the project, had no idea why all the people are willing to spend the time at the gen 2 sample that had been cast aside a long time ago.

"You idiot, those gen 22 or 23 could not go against the sample from the first few generations."

"They aren't even alive." He frowned. "How the things that aren't even alive, are better than those two or three elemental human test subjects?"

"Saint Kaijosh and Teian province incident." At seniors words, the kid could only suck mouthful cold air. Even if he had little idea about the Teian province massacre was related to Saint Kaijosh but never did he thought it was 'that' generation's sample.

"That is one of the last samples Saint Kaijosh had created before he died in the Teian incident." A chill ran up his spine, he was not sure it was his senior's words or the furious struggles in the pod in the pin-drop silence.

Each time the blob blasted on the pod's inside they couldn't help but suck lungs full of cold air. The thumping in their chest was getting louder with each struggle. Back wet with sweat, they could only look at the liquid in the pod becoming murky. Nobody remembered how much longer before they stayed like a statue after the struggle stopped.

"Where is it? Where…" The scream that charged through the door broke the stance.

"Master!"

"Saint."

Everybody showed their respect but the old man couldn't care less, "Where is it? Is it in the pod? Why is the liquid is so dark? Change it, change it quickly." Almost beating up the one who came to explain he continued to shout.

Four mage apprentices came running, with four soldiers behind them carrying four big jars. The apprentices draw the magic circle with a swift movement. In the middle was the pod, four paths branched out it and at the end of each path, there was the jar.

The looked at each other for the last time and with a nod, they put their blood on the magic circle. It glowed in dark purple. With each second it was becoming darker and the liquid inside the stasis pod was becoming clearer.

"Yes." The old man shouted with joy. Tears were streaming from both the eyes but it never left the pod. Inside translucent liquid, the outline of something was becoming clearer.

"Could it be human?" The whispered rose but spoke in a loud voice.

Soon it became transparent, it was human as they had guessed.

"Can you see it senior? It was successful, you were right" The beastical shout broke into a fit of coughs. Some came to help him only to push away as the old man was walking towards the pod in trance.

A naked human male with long hair was floating inside the pod. The breathing was normal and calm. The eyes snapped open but…

The old man couldn't see any eyeball, all there was fire, a blue flame was burning in the place where the eyes should have been.

******************

'Where am I?' It was the first thought in my consciousness that woke me up. I was bitten by a genetically modified spider, right? This should be a hospital, but…

Something is wrong. I couldn't open my eyes.

'Are the muscles still affected?'

That might be so, but it surprised me as I tried to move my hand. It wasn't just the hand, the leg and the body too, I can move it as much as I want.

'Could it be I died and now in amniotic fluid? Or could it be stasis therapy? But why can't I open my eyes?'

No matter how much I try, I failed miserably. All I could do was try, but soon tiredness enveloped me. I lost consciousness.

***************

The day was like any other. I had no sense of time, unable to understand whether it was day or night outside it was the same for me at the time my consciousness returns. But…

I am not sure but the heat started to build up inside the body. All of a sudden, an acute force started to revolve around my body, not long after there were a downward pull and flush…

With a smooth motion, I felt my body was squished out a narrow tube.

'It's cold.' My mind screamed. As my teeth started to clatter to disperse the cold, but it was useless. Starked naked on the mouldy wooden floor, wet in cold fluid, it was hard to stay warm.

"*#@£&@&&#"

"@£#-#£#"

"Whtt? Auu Caun unersten eww." My intention didn't form perfect words in my mouth but I can feel the stare of those gibberish speaking ones on me.

*Splat*

With mouldy floor and my weak limbs, I slipped as I tried to support my body.

'It's still painful. Why isn't anyone helping me?' After futile struggles I sat back up, I was not sure whether my legs could support my body or not.

"Whtt aweer eww? Whee caun auu speep?" I could only sigh, 'could it be the result of some medicine?' Not knowing how to react I found those gibberish speaking ones had indulged in another set of conversation.

'Could it be my ear is not working properly due to the drug?' I wanted to gesture my problem to the one whom I couldn't even see properly but…

Bright red lights started to slither towards me from all directions, jumped on my limbs. Sane thoughts lost it way, "Ahhhhhh…."

Molten hot metal poured in my body. My wrist, ankle, neck, waist even my forehead burned up.

"Ahhhhhh…" the scream was the only thing that remained constant.

************

"It is all hopeless." A thick bunch of paper was slammed on the table with full force. "That bastard Kaijosh must have hidden something."

"Aryu choose your words carefully." It was the same old man but somewhere in the weak protest, he had doubts too. 'Alas! No can ask the dead.'

"With all due respect, Saint Duroc, I know Saint Kaijosh had his share of geniuses but you can't hide your research, it was sponsored with the money of the King." Even under extreme anger, his body didn't slough a little.

Systematic training from his birth made him well-proportioned, but it wasn't his knightly training but his command over the magic that had made Aryu one of the lords of the project.

"And sir Kaijosh hadn't taken anything with him. It was the outbreak that destroyed it all."

Aryu frowned but didn't pursue the matter anymore, "But further development will be handled by my group."

"No…" the cry came out by instinct but next words contained the strength authority, "To begin with, you have no idea about the specimen, neither about its growth process."

"With all due respect, you have neither."

"But I had been part of the project." With each word, the voice was becoming more furious.

Compare to the Saint Aryu was calm as he could be. With lips curved upwards, he added, "part of an unsuccessful project."

"You...you" the words were too much, and all those present knew it was taboo in front of the saint but none dare to speak. Aryu, was the representative of the nobles, wield more strength than Saint but in the shadow. "Sir Aryu, by the power vested upon me by majesty I order you to…"

The saint couldn't complete his sentence before... *boom*

Slamming a royal decree on the table was a crime of itself but none was worried about that.

"You will understand when you read it," Aryu said with a smile.

Even if he did not read it the saint had an idea about the decree. Reluctant, the saint had to accept the decree and read it. The smile on his face widened as Aryu added, "For his enormous contribution to the great land of Roginia the saint will join the royal court to assist the king as deputy advisor-in-chief. And…" Aryu stopped to take a look at the stunned people around him, "and I will supervise the project as the deputy-head till further order."

There was pin-drop silence in the room. Some snickered, some were happy but everybody could understand what the saint was feeling, but somehow the saint was too calm.

It took some time for the saint to regain his strength. "Deputy head please take care of my children." With a bow, the saint took the decree and left the room without a single word.

"Good, now let us take our time and study sample 27 thoroughly." With the word, Aryu left the room too.

Through surprised, everybody could understand that the decision was the manipulation of the Nobles of the kingdom. With the friction between them, it was just a matter of time before the decree to come.