PROLOGUE (SIDE:K START)

About three months ago

"Sir, we have received many reports of sightings, but every single time she has escaped from our grasps, perhaps we should give up?" A young man in a white lab coat suggested.

He stood in a dark room, a door to one side. The room only contained a desk with a chair behind it and two chairs in front. Stacks of papers were arranged neatly on the desk. The person sitting behind the desk appeared no more than a dark figure due to his dark clothes and dark ambience. The chair was always facing away whenever anyone entered the room, and hence no one has ever seen his face.

"Give up?" The man questioned.

"Y-yes sir, we are wasting far too many resources on this, it will be far cheaper and easier to create a new one,"The scientist suggested.

"Will that one be as powerful?"

"Certainly, we will make it even stronger than her."

"Fools," The man sighed. "No other will compare to her. However, you are free to try. Create a new one, a "stronger" one, and we will test it against her."

"I will focus our best team on this, we will complete this project as fast as possible," The scientist bowed and turned to leave.

"Remember this, failure, is not an option. It will have harmful results, for you."

"Y-yes sir," The scientist replied, closing the door behind him. Why do I need to put up with this? How did she even escape? Who was it that helped her escape? I still remember that day clearly, but I still have no clue who that was.

——————————————————

Several years ago

"Reporting, sir, the hybrid is again showing signs of hostility," An assistant reported.

He stood near a desk in the large ground near the enclosure of subject no. 728, the scientist sitting at the desk. The ground was supposed to be incorporated into the enclosure once subject no 728 grew more, but due to her extremely slow growth rate it was made into a makeshift office by setting up a desk and a chair.

"Let her outside, allow her to play with someone before throwing her back in. Put subject no. 354 with her," The scientist sighed as he flicked through some sheets of paper.

"B-but sir, that is the hybrid of an Ancient Dragon and Blood Phoenix."

"So? She is the hybrid of beings far stronger, do as I am saying."

"Right away sir," The assistant sighed and turned to pass the order.

"Tell me what is happening in there while I handle other work," The scientist ordered.

"Yes sir. They are currently moving subject no. 354 to subject no. 728."

"Good."

"Sir, may I ask a query?" The assistant asked.

"Go ahead."

"Why does subject no. 354 look like an ordinary ancient fire dragon when it is a hybrid?"

"Hybrids don't necessarily obtain the looks of both of their constituent species. Many species are not visible in their looks, but they are in their abilities, now tell me what is happening in there."

"Subject no. 354 has locked onto subject no. 728. Subject no. 728 shot a burst of blue-pink flames at subject no. 354, but it didn't have any effect."

"I believe you understand what I meant now."

"Yes sir. Both of them have engaged in melee combat as their breath attacks have no effect. Subject no. 728 is efficiently dodging all the attacks- she was hit by a claw strike from subject no. 354 and slammed into a wall of the enclosure. Her condition doesn't seems good sir, should we remove subject no. 354?"

"Subject 728 is far too strong to die from just one hit, or even a thousand."

"Sir, you may wish to see this yourself." The assistant said hesitantly.

The scientist raised his head and looked into the enclosure. The giant reddish brown subject no. 354 was easily visible, and the pink hair of subject no. 728 were barely visible in the corner. But along with the two stood another figure, completely black from head to toe with no features. He wore a black robe with golden linings but nothing else to differentiate him from a dark shadow.

"What is that?" The scientist whispered.

"I have no clue, it just appeared out of nowhere and subject no. 354 is afraid to attack," The assistant explained.

The scientist rushed to the enclosure instantly and looked inside. It was just a large iron cage with some shrubbery and grass inside, that too just because it was in the middle of a large grass field.

"Who are you?" The scientist exclaimed after opening the small door to the cage and entering.

"None of your concern," The figure hissed, his voice full of anger.

"You are standing in the enclosure of our test subject and interrupting an experiment," The scientist snarled.

"Making a child fight? That is your experiment?"

"You have no clue what she is," The scientist spat.

"I know a lot better than you do." The figure hissed as it raised its hand into the air.

"Kill him, subject no. 354," The scientist ordered, but the dragon refused to move. Obedience was drilled into every single hybrid since the moment they were created, and the results of disobedience were shown whenever necessary. And yet, the dragon refused to attack.

"Your dragon knows better than you do," The figure chuckled.

Just as he said that darkness shrouded the scientist's vision for a moment before clearing. When it cleared the entire cage, the dragon, and the assistant were all gone. What used to be the grassland was now transformed into a crater in the earth. Only subject no. 728 remained, lying by the figure's side, a confused and awestruck look on her face.

"You are not a caged bird, fly freely, this world, and every world is yours," The figure spoke in a gentle voice. The girl nodded and hesitantly got up on her feet.

"You are not permitted to leave!" The scientist exclaimed.

"Go, ignore the pests," The figure sighed.

Nodding once the girl spread her two draconic and two phoenix wings and took off into the air. Her phoenix tails trailing behind her as she flew as fast as she could, straight in one direction. The scientist saw her leave with a horrified expression, not knowing what hellish treatment he would receive for allowing her to escape. He turned to where the figure stood before but found no one.

You will pay for this, both you, and her.