Alia was trembling with a mix of rage and sorrow. She stepped toward Viktor and asked in a sharp, intense voice, "Why did you choose him? There is no shortage of people in the world; couldn't you have found someone else? What harm did my friend do to you that you subjected him to such inhumane torture?"
Viktor stood still for a moment, stunned. He realized that a major error had occurred in his perfect plan, as he had not known that Alia had a deep connection with this person. A mix of hesitation and cunning appeared in his eyes. Looking into Alia's eyes, he replied in a calm but cold voice, "I do not choose anyone, Alia. Destiny sends the materials to me. The person you are looking for is not just a human; he carried a specific 'neurological pattern' necessary for my project. I didn't know he was someone you knew, but it is clear now—everything was pre-arranged."
Alia realized that Viktor was not an ordinary criminal; he had entangled her as well in the threads of an invisible web within his own dark world.
Hearing about Viktor's "destiny" or staged drama, Alia does not believe that her friend's presence here is merely a coincidence; rather, she understands that Viktor is manipulating her to conceal the truth. Viktor let a devilish smile spread across his lips. Looking at Alia's friend, he said in a cold, chilling voice, "You see, your friend is now desperate to know the reason for your presence here. But does she know that you have come here only to give science a new form? You are no longer that old person; you are now an inseparable part of my project a perfect experiment." Alia cried out in a desperate voice. Looking at Viktor's devilish smile, she conquered her fear and rage in an instant and said firmly, "Viktor, enough! Let him go. He cannot have any connection to your project. I am begging you, release him from here!" Viktor's smirk deepened, devoid of any remorse. He stepped closer to the control panel of the glass chamber, seemingly relishing Alia's emotional outburst as if it were the ultimate metric for his success. He spoke in a cold, bone-chilling tone: "Alia, why don't you understand? Emotion is the greatest human weakness. And when this weakness reaches its peak, it is then that a human reveals their true, ultimate form. Your friend here is no longer just a person; he is now the perfect canvas for my 'Project Eternal Shadow,' where I am erasing the limitations of nature to rewrite history. Releasing him would mean reducing years of my labor to dust. Is that what you want?"
Alia stepped toward Viktor, her eyes burning with intense hatred. She screamed, "What you call science is nothing but madness! You are playing with human existence. If you don't release him today, mark my words the fire of my hatred and vengeance will burn you to ashes!"
Viktor adjusted his glasses, that devilish smirk still lingering on his lips. He lowered his voice, "Vengeance? That is just an innate human instinct. That is exactly what I want to see, Alia. I want to see just how low a person will stoop for the sake of love or friendship. Are you prepared to sacrifice your own existence to save him today? Or will you remain just another witness to my dark world?"
The lab fell into an eerie silence. Viktor pressed a button, and faint blue gas began to seep into the chamber. Alia's friend began to thrash in agony, his muffled screams fading behind the thick glass. Alia realized that Viktor would not back down under any circumstances. Will she be able to stop Viktor's cruelty, or is she now destined to become a part of the dark power within this laboratory? The atmosphere inside the lab became unbearable. Alia could not hold back her tears; she broke down completely. Clutching Viktor's legs, she sobbed, "Viktor, please! I will never bother you again, I will forget everything. Let him go! I am begging you, release him!"
Viktor stood still for a moment. Alia's helplessness and the intensity of her tears seemed to trigger a strange reaction in Viktor's stone-cold heart. Very slowly, he reached out and pressed a button on the control panel. Instantly, the glass chamber slid open with a mechanical hiss. Alia's friend collapsed to the floor, disoriented. Without a second's hesitation, Alia rushed over and hugged her dear friend tightly. Her tears soaked his clothes as she wept uncontrollably.
But Viktor's eyes remained as cold as ever. He stood at a distance, watching the scene with indifference. He said in a calm voice, "I have granted you this release today, Alia. But remember, this mercy is not out of love—I only wanted to see how much emotion could defeat your logic. Today, you proved that love has turned you into an even more powerful element for this project. Keep in mind, even after leaving this lab, you will not be able to escape the story I am writing."
Alia realized that she had saved her friend, but she had become even more deeply entangled in the trap of Viktor's cruel game. Alia, holding her friend tightly, whispered, "How many years have you been here? And are these doctors going to keep you trapped in this underwater lab for your whole life?"
Her friend replied in a trembling voice, "I don't remember exactly how long I've been here; time loses its meaning in this place. But they won't keep me here forever. They have a secret, private tunnel at the back of the lab that leads directly to the main city street it takes only about 20 minutes to reach it. But that path is extremely treacherous and heavily guarded." In the dimly lit, suffocating atmosphere of the lab, Alia hugged her friend one last time before their final departure. Her voice was laced with deep concern. She knew that slipping out from under Viktor's gaze was half the battle won. She quickly slipped off a diamond ring worth a fortune and pressed it into her friend's hand, whispering, "Listen, you cannot stay here for another moment. Use that tunnel and head straight for the main road."
Alia signaled her two bodyguards. They stepped forward with grim expressions, ready to shield her friend. Alia pulled a chequebook from her bag and scribbled a cheque for several million dollars, which would help him start a new life far away from this nightmare. "Keep this money with you; it's worth several million. Use it to get far away from here. Change your identity and settle down somewhere new so that Viktor's shadow can never find you again."
Her friend stared at Alia in disbelief. He had never imagined that Alia would risk so much to secure his freedom. "Alia, you've put yourself in such great danger for me..." he started to say, but Alia silenced him. "Saving your life is the only thing that matters now. Go, return home, and leave no trace behind."
The bodyguards escorted her friend toward the secret tunnel. Alia stood alone amidst the bone-chilling cold of the lab. As she watched her friend disappear into the darkness of the tunnel, a weight seemed to lift from her heart. But the dread remained. She knew that whether this money and freedom would truly protect him depended on Viktor's next move. Alia, after saying goodbye to her friend, walked briskly to the main door of Viktor's lab. As her fingers touched the panel, the heavy metal door slid open with a soft sound. Upon entering, she saw Viktor standing in the center of the lab. His gaze was fixed intently on the mysterious blue injection resting in the cabinet. He was so absorbed that he didn't even seem to notice Alia entering the room. He was staring at the syringe filled with blue liquid as if it were the source of all his power.
Alia hesitated for a moment before calling out in a calm voice, "Viktor... may I come in?"
Viktor did not move. He replied in a slow, steady voice without even turning around, "You have already arrived, Alia. And I even witnessed that emotional farewell scene of yours. Now tell me, is your friend's 'freedom' really final, or is this also just a part of my next experiment?"Alia replied in a firm voice, "No, Viktor. This is not part of any experiment; it was simply a human decision."
Viktor turned around slowly. The syringe containing the blue injection glimmered in his hand. He began walking toward Alia with slow, deliberate steps. The intense chill of the lab seemed to run down Alia's spine. Viktor said in a very slow and cold tone, "Did you really think you could impose a decision on me? You know what happens to those who disobey me."
Alia took a step back, but Viktor cornered her against the wall. Holding the needle of the syringe right in front of Alia's eyes, Viktor said in a devilish tone, "You freed your friend—very well. But now it is your responsibility to prove to me that you haven't crossed the limits of my allegiance. If you disobey me, this 'Blue Blood' injection will be your final destination."
Alia was trembling in fear. The cruelty in Viktor's eyes made her realize that she was no longer in a laboratory, but standing at the very gates of death. Viktor approached Alia with a cold, cruel demeanor. The needle of the blue injection in his hand glimmered menacingly in the dim light of the lab. It felt as if time had stopped for Alia. Without any hesitation, Viktor brought the needle to Alia's arm and, without any warning, plunged it deep into her skin.
"Ahhhhh!"—a scream of agony escaped Alia's lips. An electric shock seemed to jolt through her entire body. It felt as though molten iron, not blood, was flowing through her veins. She collapsed onto the floor, curling up in pain. Everything began to blur before her eyes, and she could hear nothing but the sound of Viktor's devilish laughter. Alia realized that Viktor had turned her into a subject for one of his own horrific experiments. Alia's consciousness returned slowly, and she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Her head was throbbing with intense pain, and it felt as if her brain was shrouded in fog. As she opened her eyes, she saw that she was lying on a luxurious bed. When she looked toward her side, her blood ran cold—Viktor was fast asleep beside her, and both of them were completely naked.
Alia froze like a stone for a moment. She had no memory of how they arrived here or what had transpired between them. Her mind could not reconcile this situation with the past in any way. She slowly tried to sit up, but felt a strange weakness in every muscle of her body. Terrified and confused, Alia whispered to herself in a trembling voice, "This... where is this place? How did we get here?" Alia's mind was still reeling from the agony of that blue injection in the lab. She remembered everything about her past, her rivalry with Viktor, and even her own identity; it was only those final moments in the lab that were completely blank. She placed a trembling hand on Viktor's shoulder and called out in a shaky voice, "Hey, listen to me. Wake up... where is this place? How did we get here?"
Viktor slowly opened his eyes. There was no coldness in them this time, but rather a strange sense of satisfaction. He looked at Alia with a mysterious smile and sat up. Alia noticed that in Viktor's gaze, there was a new resolve to keep her trapped even more deeply. As Alia looked at Viktor, waiting for an answer, he slowly rose from the bed, his eyes filled with a calculating gaze, observing every one of Alia's reactions.
Viktor sighed and said in a cold voice, "You're talking about losing memories, Alia? In truth, you haven't lost anything. That injection in the lab didn't erase your memories; rather, it placed you face-to-face with a new reality. Where we are is irrelevant; what matters is that from this moment on, you are subject to my will."
Alia realized that Viktor was not freeing her from any common memory loss or trance; instead, he had established an invisible control over her mind using the blue poison from the lab. The deep implication of Viktor's words is that he has erased the incident at the lab and replaced it with a confusion so profound that Alia can no longer distinguish between her own existence and Viktor's desires. This is not just an illusion; it is Viktor's absolute dominance over Alia's psyche. He may not have fully erased her memories, but he has distorted them in such a way that Alia begins to doubt her own freedom.