Alistair led them directly to his office. It was a spacious room designed for intimidation, not comfort, with a panoramic view of the dense cityscape that now served as Cj's cage.
Thorne gestured to two chairs across from his large, polished desk. "Sit."
Once they were seated, Thorne leaned back, tapping a file folder on the desk. He spoke directly to Andre, ignoring Cj for the moment. "Andre, you've been through the initial procedures. However, the presence of a partner introduces new changes. We need to reset the expectations."
He shifted his piercing gaze to Cj. "From now on, Cj, your well being, progress, and most importantly, your containment are Andre's responsibility, and vice-versa. We are starting your training immediately, and we are starting it together. You keep Andre's Owl Construct from killing him, and he keeps your Beast from going feral. If one of you breaches, the other is tasked with, and held responsible for, immediate neutralization."
Cj and Andre exchanged glances. Andre gave Cj a small, reassuring smile a silent promise of allegiance in this suddenly dangerous partnership.
"Now then," Thorne said, cutting through the silence. He pulled a crisp, legal sized sheet of paper from the file and slid it across the desk toward Cj first. "This is your terms of agreement and terms of service. You will read and you will sign it."
The document was brief, but its meaning was brutal. It stated, in unambiguous, chilling language, that Cj and Andre were now bound to the DCO's strictest secrecy. The final clause was the only one that truly mattered: Any attempt to breach company security, disclose operations, or abandon the facility would result in their being classified as hostile and viable for immediate termination.
Thorne leaned back, a professional, humorless expression fixed on his face. "This is a contract, gentlemen. Your signature means you willingly forfeit your former lives, your secrets, and your futures to the DCO. Refuse to sign, and your status changes right now from 'Asset' to 'Problem.'"
He picked up a sleek, black pen and held it out, first to Cj. "Welcome to your new life."
Cj let out a heavy, shaking sigh, the sound cutting through the sterile silence of the office, and took the pen. He signed his name and the last official act of his old life... with a hand that was not quite steady.
He slid the document and the pen across the desk to Andre. Andre didn't hesitate. His eyes briefly skimmed the page, and he signed with a clean, fluid stroke.
Instead of handing the pen back to Thorne, Andre simply tossed it onto the desk with a flick of an finger, where it clattered against the polished wood. He met Thorne's gaze, not with resignation or fear, but with a slow, utterly menacing smile. It was a look that promised cooperation, but only until the moment he found a way to escape or inflict damage.
Thorne picked up the file and clipped the contract inside without comment, a flicker of something unreadable perhaps approval in his eyes. The dynamic had changed: they were bound, but the partnership was already one of mutual threat.
Thorne clipped the signed contract into the file, the silence in the office absolute. He looked from Cj to Andre, his expression shifting back to his usual detached efficiency.
"The paperwork is complete," Thorne announced, rising from his chair. "You are dismissed. Andre, you know the schedule. It is time you begin training your partner."
He didn't offer a farewell, only a command. "I expect to see the beginnings of control when I check on you later this evening. Do not disappoint me."
Andre stretched his shoulders and cracked his neck with a sharp, audible sound. He offered Thorne a brief, fake bright smile the kind that didn't reach his unsettling blue eyes.
Thorne simply returned a small, satisfied smile, leaning back in his chair like a king settling onto his throne.
"Alright, Cj," Andre said, the casual tone outlying the severity of the order. "Let's go learn how to use the monster."
He turned and strode out of the office, expecting Cj to follow without question.
Andre led the way out of Thorne's office and toward a set of elevators disguised by sleek metal paneling. He hit a button marked with a complex symbol, and the elevator zoomed downward with a dizzying rush.
"First thing we need to do is see what you're working with," Andre announced, his voice suddenly sharp with focus. "We're starting with a mini-spar to determine your current skill level or lack thereof."
The doors hissed open, and Cj stepped out onto an deck overlooking a massive space: the Training Grounds. It was a huge, echoing arena floored with packed brown dirt, not the polished steel Cj expected. Along the far walls, racks lined with various weapons, swords, staves, and combat knives glimmered under the harsh overhead lights. The air smelled of dust and old sweat.
"Welcome to the gym," Andre said, jumping lightly off the deck and onto the dirt floor. He turned, hands already slightly raised. "No rules. No Beast. Just you and me. Let's see if you can even throw a punch, partner."
They crossed the dusty arena floor, moving to opposite sides to prepare. Andre started hopping lightly from one foot to the other, warming up with fluid, practiced movements.
Cj, confused and feeling foolish, awkwardly copied the hopping motion.
Andre immediately noticed and let out a quick, genuine laugh. "Don't worry about it," he said, shaking his head. "We'll train the awkwardness right out of you. You'll be a fine warrior soon enough." He then snapped his stance, all traces of humor gone. "Ready, partner?"
Cj shook his head, planting his feet and awkwardly raising his hands in front of him.
He was a minute too late. Andre sprang forward with impossible, blurring speed. Cj was shocked by how quickly his partner's lean body could move. He barely managed to jerk his head back to dodge the first punch a whipping left hook.
But before Cj could even register the miss, Andre's right hand snapped out like a whip. It cracked Cj hard across the forehead knocking him completely off balance. Cj hit the dusty ground, his head ringing.
Andre stood over him, breathing easily. "Spar over," he stated, offering Cj a hand. "I guess that answers the question about your skill level."
Cj pushed himself up from the dirt, ignoring the sting in his temple. "No," he grunted, the word raw. He wiped the streak of blood from his head with a single finger, then gave his neck a sharp, involuntary crack.
In that instant, everything about Cj changed.
It felt like something else took control of his limbs. His stance became low and coiled, and his body exploded with a series of quick, vicious street fighting moves. He launched a blistering high kick that Andre barely ducked under.
Andre recoiled, his face flashing with confusion. A Beast can't learn martial arts, his mind screamed. It's pure chaos!
But Cj wasn't stopping. Before Andre could recover, Cj drove a perfectly aimed, savage strike right into his solar plexus. The wind rushed out of Andre's lungs, forcing him to fold over, gasping for air.
Cj's body went slack instantly, and the controlled rage vanished as the unknown force released him.
Andre let out a rattling cough, straightening up while clutching his ribs. He gave Cj a bewildered but genuine look of approval.
"Okay," Andre choked out, managing a quick smile. "You actually... cheated. That was a gut strike. But fine, you get a pass. We definitely need to work on whatever that was."
"What do you mean, cheated?" Cj demanded, utterly confused by his own body's betrayal and skill.
Andre shook his head, still recovering his breath. "Later. That's a serious power spike, and Thorne needs to stay ignorant about it for now. Come on."
"Enough for now," Andre said, gesturing sharply toward the observation deck. "Get back up here."
Cj, still trying to reconcile the sudden, brutal skill that had exploded from his body, followed Andre back to the elevator.
"Next stop: the Meditation Room," Andre announced, stabbing a button on the panel. The elevator shot upward. "Forget those awkward kicks and random punches. The real training is internal. We need to learn how to summon your Beast without it tearing your head off, and how to tame it enough for Thorne's 'precision' work."
He stepped out into the pristine hallway. "This is where we learn the real control, Cj. Let's go."
They reached the Meditation Room, which was utterly different from the clinical lab or the dusty arena. The space was mostly dark, lit only by soft, indirect lighting that created a quiet, somber atmosphere.
Dominating the room was a large, circular pool of dark, still water.
"Strip your shirt," Andre instructed.
Cj paused, instantly confused and slightly weirded out. "Uh, why?"
Andre sighed impatiently. "Relax, it's not weird. We're going in." He waited for Cj to comply, then continued, "This isn't ordinary water. The pool is saturated with Epsom salts and minerals it's super dense. The purpose is to create sensory deprivation and aid the trance state."
Cj slowly walked to the edge and removed his shirt.
"When you get in, don't jump," Andre advised. "Just fall backward into my hands and let the water take you. It will completely support your weight. You need to focus on letting go. We're not fighting the water; we're using it to cage your mind."
Cj hesitated for only a second before committing. He let out a quick breath and fell backward into the heavy brine.
Andre's hands were immediately there, steady and firm, ensuring Cj didn't sink awkwardly. "It's all right," Andre murmured, his voice calm and low, an anchor in the sudden darkness.
He slowly lowered Cj into the surprisingly lukewarm water with each other's gazes meeting with Andre cracking a smile. The brine was so dense it felt like being held by liquid foam.
"Now, stop moving. Stop thinking," Andre commanded. "To make this work, you have to be completely calm reach that state of total consciousness where you're aware of everything but reacting to nothing. Feel the chaotic energy of the Beast inside you."
Andre's voice seemed to come from a long distance. "When you feel that power, visualize a door in your mind. That door is your control. You need to exert the energy through that door, not fighting it, but directing it. That's how we summon it and make it useful in the real world."
Cj closed his eyes, let the silence take him, and fell.
He opened them to a world of absolute darkness and static. In the center of this void was a small, placid pond, and from its depths rose a single, gently flickering pillar of blue flame.
He moved closer, his feet silent on the mental ground, and saw the Beast. It wasn't the feral terror he remembered fighting Kaelus; it now held the clear form of a colossal pale Axolotl, scaled and massive. It climbed lazily out of the pond. Instead of aggression, it moved with a strange, clumsy curiosity, shuffling toward Cj and rubbing its immense head against his side like a confused puppy.
As he touched its cool skin, a faint, small girl's voice, sharp and raw, screamed into his mind: 'Help me.' The words were a catalyst. The massive Axolotl seized instantly, its gentle form reforming with sickening speed transforming into the original, ugly, violent creature Cj knew. Pure instinct took over...". He grabbed the Beast, hurled its thrashing mass toward the mental door, and watched the vision shatter.
Cj's eyes snapped open. He was back in the warm brine pool, gasping for air, but the training had failed.
The Beast was real. It had breached containment and was now standing on the deck in the Meditation Room. It was back in its hideous, original form, violently snarling and snapping its razor teeth mere feet from Cj's head.
Andre, however, was not looking at the snarling monster. He was kneeling on the deck, shivering uncontrollably, his clear blue eyes fixed on something behind Cj.
"Cj... what is that?" Andre whispered, his voice trembling with sheer, absolute terror.
Cj slowly turned. Standing where the light met the shadows of the room was a being of pure, solidified dread. It was chained by thick bands of black energy, which only slightly contained the dense, churning black aura it emitted. The energy released by this chained entity was so heavy, so profound, that it struck the room like a physical wave.
The force instantly knocked the materialized Beast unconscious, sending its monstrous body sprawling. Simultaneously, the shockwave slammed into Andre, knocking him flat and silencing his shivers.
But Cj remained standing, perfectly conscious. The entity was staring directly at him.
"Who are you?!" Cj shouted, the sound swallowed by the oppressive darkness.
The chained being didn't answer with words, but with a horrifying, echoing laugh that seemed to crack the air. It vibrated through the water and struck Cj's ears like a physical blow.
Cj slowly advanced. As he drew closer, the being took form. It was indeed similar to Kaelus, the Demi-Angel he fought, but horribly ravaged: a powerful form impaled by a massive sword thrust directly through its chest acting like an seal and ripped strewn marks from where it seems black wings once were. It was pinned to a colossal stone monument covered in glowing runes, its entire body secured by thick chains and huge, wicked looking spikes hammered into the wall acting like an prison.
The being gave a rattling cough, his gaze never leaving Cj. "Come closer, host."
Cj obeyed.
"You need to tame the Beast before it consumes you," The being rasped, the words laced with cold warning. "And know this: I am a failsafe. If you fail to tame the Beast, if you allow the Axolotl to turn you feral..."
The Fallen Angel slowly raised his head, pulling a wide, terrifying smile. His teeth were unnaturally white, illuminating the darkness with a chilling, predatory gleam.
"...I won't hesitate to kill your friends," It finished. "I will cleanse the infection myself, starting with those you care about."
"Kill my friends?" Cj's voice cracked with raw disbelief. "You're bound to me! How can you—"
"I am bound to your soul, not your morality," Sariel cut in, his white smile widening. "My name is Sariel. I am a Fallen Angel and I am permanently bound to your body, soul and spirit. You will tell no one that I exist. and especially not the man Thorne"
Sariel then continued, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, the intensity in his eyes making Cj's skin crawl.
"That Beast you absorbed is a primal force, an infection. I am the cure and the containment." Cj realised that is the truth Thorne does not know: your two entities the beast and the Fallen Angel are locked in a symbiotic war for your body.
Sariel's grip on the chains strained, his aura pulsing. "The Axolotl holds the raw power, the speed, the destructive strength. I hold the knowledge, the precision, and the control. Together, we make you unbeatable."
He paused, letting the scope of the truth settle. "Your only purpose now is to accept me. Embrace my power, and the Beast will eventually follow, though that stubborn creature will take time to trust your flesh. Refuse, and your life ends violently, and alone."
Cj didn't flinch. A bitter, adrenaline fueled laugh burst from him, and Sariel's unnaturally white smile instantly vanished.
"You want me to trust you?" Cj challenged, his voice ringing with fury. "You're the same monster who confessed he'd kill my friends! Why should I believe you're the cure, not just a different kind of infection?"
Cj gestured to the chains. "I could try to free you right now, but I know what you want you want this body. I have no idea the kind of harm you're capable of causing. I would rather learn to tame the Beast myself and work with it than work with you in a million years."
Sariel let out a final, chilling chuckle that sent a fresh wave of pain through the room. "You are utterly predictable, host. Remember my name, Sariel. Call upon it when your stupidity finally traps you, because I will always be here to save you."
The fallen Angel's eyes narrowed, a cold, final calculation in their depths. "After all," he whispered, "I was always part of you, long before you awakened me."
Sariel's form began to dissolve, the heavy black chains melting into the air. His final words echoed through the chamber like a mocking farewell:
"And do say hello to Seraphina for me."
As the last flicker of Sariel's aura vanished, Cj felt a profound, distinct energy pulsating deep within him, settling behind his chest a violent, hidden power, waiting for his command.
The heavy, suffocating aura immediately dissipated, and the Meditation Room returned to its quiet, humid reality.
Andre let out a sharp gasp, scrambling to his feet, eyes wide with residual terror. He glanced wildly at the huge, unconscious Beast lying splayed on the deck, then looked at Cj. "What in the world had happened? What was that thing?"
Before Cj could even process the question, a loud, blaring security alarm ripped through the facility. The concrete door to the room hissed open, and a squad of DCO soldiers, clad in tactical gear, stormed in, weapons raised.
Cj's legs suddenly gave out. He fell forward onto the deck, his head swimming, his eyes heavy and drowsy from the mental shock. The last thing he heard before the world went black was Andre's frantic, desperate screaming: "Cj! Wake up! Cj, wake up!" overlaid by the metallic, hostile blare of the alarms.