Xyros Corp Headquarters – Tower 07
The elevator ascended in silence.
Emily Xyros stood stiffly, hands clenched, her mind spinning.
Every floor they passed—labs, security hubs, drone bays—only fueled the bile rising in her throat.
When the doors finally opened, she stepped into her father's office.
Wide. Sleek. Cold.
And at the center, standing before a panoramic city view, was Edward Xyros.
He turned slowly as she entered, arms folded behind his back.
"You disobeyed protocol."
She didn't blink. "You lied to me."
He raised an eyebrow. "About what?"
"About Jerry. About what he is. What you made him into."
Edward's expression didn't change. "He was always unstable. A failed remnant of Phase One. We gave him a chance at evolution. He chose monstrosity."
Emily stepped closer, her voice trembling. "You experimented on him when he was a child. He never chose anything."
Edward's eyes sharpened. "Everyone chooses. Especially survivors. That boy let the Abyss consume him. He's not your friend. He's not even a person anymore."
"You're wrong."
Edward turned to a terminal and pressed a button.
A screen lit up—footage from the school courtyard. Jerry's claws. The disfigured monster. Screaming students.
"You call that humanity?"
Emily stared at the screen.
Then back at him.
"I call that sacrifice. He saved everyone—even after everything you did to him."
Her father's voice dropped into warning tones.
"You're too emotional. I need you focused."
"I am focused," Emily snapped. "Focused on the truth."
Edward's eyes narrowed. "So what will you do now?"
"Help him," she said. "Because you're not the only one with access to your secrets anymore."
He stepped forward.
"You'd betray your own blood for him?"
She met his glare with equal fire.
"I'd betray monsters for the boy who still clings to being human."
Silence hung between them like a blade.
Finally, Edward exhaled, slow and dangerous.
"Then you've made your choice."
He pressed another button.
Below the tower, in a sealed chamber, something stirred.
Meanwhile – Abandoned Freight Tunnels
Jerry followed the mentor through dripping, low-ceiling tunnels lit only by the man's faint blue glow.
"What is this place?" Jerry asked.
"A forgotten scar," the man said. "The original testing ground of Project Abyss—before they buried it."
Jerry stopped.
"You knew about the project?"
"I was its first failure," the man said. "But also its last success."
Jerry stared.
"You're like me."
The man nodded. "But older. Slower. And no longer the weapon they wanted."
They entered a cavernous underground room. Abyss runes glowed on the walls—etched in bone and obsidian.
The man turned.
"If you want to live, you must learn to balance the hunger. Channel it without losing yourself."
"I can't," Jerry muttered. "The more I change, the harder it is to come back."
"You can," the man said. "But you need a tether."
He stepped forward and pressed a hand to Jerry's chest.
"Right here. Your reason. Your memory. Your anchor."
Jerry saw Emily's face in his mind.
He nodded.
"I'm ready."
Edward Xyros stood before a massive cryo-chamber.
Inside, something shifted.
Scales. Wings. A humanoid creature chained in liquid stasis, its eyes burning even through the frost.
Dr. Verin stood nervously at his side.
"Are you sure about this?"
Edward didn't answer.
He placed his hand on the glass.
"Release Subject-09."
(To be continued...)