"Excuse me."
Naira pushed open the laboratory door, her voice polite yet restrained. A faint scent of metal and ozone drifted out to meet us.
Not far inside, a bespectacled man stood before a long table, studying streams of data suspended in midair. His white toga swayed gently as he turned, noticing our arrival.
"Hm? Oh. It's you three."
"What is it, Professor? Why did you call the three of us here?" Naira asked.
"It's about the sample you brought yesterday." He adjusted his glasses, touching the bridge of his nose. "I discovered something… rather surprising."
"Huh? What is it?"
Professor Denis turned toward his worktable, and we followed.
He tapped a panel beside a large computer. A moment later, a hologram flickered to life—an old digital newspaper from years ago.
"Sixteen years ago," he said quietly, "there were reports of monster attacks striking several cities. The incidents were remarkably similar to the one we're dealing with now. Some even reached the kingdom's territory."
I narrowed my eyes as I read the faded headline.
"Wait… isn't this—?"
"That's right," he cut in. "The southern kingdom, before its collapse. The first recorded attack occurred near the border of Asteria."
"Asteria?" I repeated.
"Yes." His gaze hardened slightly. "And it reminded me of something. Years ago, I came across a classified archive once held by the Kingdom of Asteria. They conducted forbidden experiments on prisoners—developing a serum meant to enhance the abilities of Genesta."
The hologram shifted. Photographs of researchers in white togas appeared one after another.
"One of the members of that research team was…"
I didn't recognize any of the faces. But beside me, Naira suddenly inhaled sharply.
Her eyes widened as she stared at one particular photograph.
"Isn't that…?!" she murmured.
"Yes," Professor Denis said. "August Von Elderfield."
"…Elderfield?" I tried to recall the name. "I feel like I've heard it somewhere."
"He's Carina's father," Naira replied. Her face had gone pale, her voice stiff—as though she still couldn't fully accept what she was seeing.
Dania stepped forward, voicing the unease we all felt.
"Don't tell me… the root of the incident sixteen years ago was their doing?"
"If you call it their 'doing,' that wouldn't be entirely accurate." The professor let out a slow breath. "Most of them acted under pressure. Mr. Elderfield included. The king at the time insisted—he even threatened them. They had no real choice but to comply."
"Then… what exactly happened?" I asked.
"They conducted experiments for quite some time. According to the archives I accessed, many samples failed and transformed into monsters. Every failed subject was immediately executed." He paused briefly, as if choosing his words carefully. "Because the prisoners were Genesta, their bodies were extracted afterward to harvest their energy cores."
"How cruel…" Dania whispered, covering her mouth with her fingers.
"In the end, they ran out of prisoners. So they began searching for a new source—civilian residents. With promises of power and the excuse of creating superior soldiers, quite a few people were tempted, unaware of the risks involved."
The hologram shifted again, displaying graphs and experimental logs.
"The casualties continued to rise. Yet the results they desired still didn't appear. The trials were temporarily halted for evaluation… until someone proposed a truly mad idea."
The three of us fell silent. An uneasy feeling twisted in my chest.
Naira's face grew even paler. Dania looked increasingly afraid to glance at the screen.
Ignoring our shock, the professor continued in a lower voice.
"They began using non-Genesta humans as the base for their experiments—attempting to create superior Genesta by injecting serum extracted from previous subjects. Strangely enough… the method produced results."
The professor clenched his fist, as though silently condemning the very history he was recounting.
"Positive changes began to appear. And from that point onward, they no longer hesitated to increase the number of test subjects."
Naira's body trembled.
"Don't tell me…!"
The professor's expression hardened.
"Yes… even children and infants."
The laboratory suddenly felt colder.
"…Why was the king so determined to carry out something like that?" I finally asked.
"…I still don't know the full truth," he replied quietly.
Silence hung in the air for several moments.
Then Professor Denis dismissed the hologram and looked at each of us in turn.
"There's something else I want from you. I'm assigning you a mission."
We instinctively straightened.
"This mission is directly related to the experiments from sixteen years ago. Go to Asteria. Find the ruins of that laboratory and investigate whatever remains."
"So… we're infiltrating again?" Naira asked, trying to recover her professional tone.
"One more thing," the professor added. "I also want you to visit Mr. Elderfield's house on the outskirts of Orion City. The last I heard, the place has been left abandoned ever since. Search it thoroughly. Bring back anything that seems important—or suspicious."
He looked at us more seriously now.
"There's a strong possibility all of this is connected to the incident that occurred in the southern region yesterday."
"Understood, Professor. We'll make the necessary preparations."
"Yes." He nodded slowly. "Be careful."
—
※※※—※※※
—
[POV-3]
Asteria Royal Orphanage.
The female knight walked along the polished marble corridor. Her footsteps echoed softly against the tall, immaculate walls.
Behind her, a small girl followed with hesitant steps. From time to time, she would hide behind the knight whenever the caretakers they passed greeted them with warm smiles.
It had been a week since the girl was found among the ruins of Atala City. She had finally been discharged from the hospital, though several parts of her body were still covered with bandages.
As a Genesta, her body should have healed faster than that of an ordinary human. But she was still very young. Her regenerative ability had yet to develop to the level of an adult Genesta.
Today would be her first day officially living in the orphanage dormitory.
Carina glanced over her shoulder with a faint smile. The girl behind her was gripping the back of her cloak tightly, as if afraid of being left behind.
"Don't be scared," Carina said gently. "Everyone here is kind. You'll have lots of friends."
"...."
Not long after, the head caretaker approached them.
"Good morning, Miss Carina."
"Good morning, Mrs. Beatrice. This is Misha—the girl I mentioned yesterday. Could you show us to her room?"
"Of course, Miss Carina. Please follow me."
They walked behind Mrs. Beatrice. Along the way, Misha slowly turned her head toward the garden.
Children were playing there—laughing, running, chatting freely without a care in the world.
A few of them noticed her and looked back.
Misha quickly hid behind Carina again.
Moments later, they arrived at a room. Mrs. Beatrice opened the door.
The room was fairly spacious, furnished with two bunk beds. Sitting on one of the lower beds were three young girls who seemed to be chatting. Their conversation stopped the moment they saw the unexpected visitors.
"Good morning, girls!" Beatrice greeted cheerfully.
"Good morning, Ma'am!" they replied in unison.
"Starting today, we have a new member who will be staying here. I want you to be kind to her and help her settle in, alright?"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
Three pairs of eyes turned toward the small girl who was still half-hidden behind Carina.
"Misha," Carina said softly, guiding her forward, "why don't you introduce yourself?"
Misha lowered her head. Her hands fidgeted nervously, fingers twisting together. Her cheeks flushed red.
"…My name is… Misha… I… come from Atala City."
Her voice was barely more than a whisper, yet still audible.
The three girls in front of her smiled warmly.
"My name's Tias."
"I'm Sarah."
"And I'm Tasya."
"Alright then," Beatrice said. "Breakfast will be starting soon. Take Misha to the dining hall, okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am! Come on, Misha. Let's eat together."
Tias smiled and extended her hand.
Misha stared at it for a moment, as if unsure what it meant. Then slowly, she reached out and took it.
Tias gently held her hand and helped her stand. Sarah and Tasya walked on either side of her, naturally flanking her as they left the room. Though she was still nervous, Misha followed along.
The corridor was busier now. Other children were heading in the same direction. A few caretakers reminded the louder ones to keep their voices down.
The atmosphere felt lively—warm, noisy, and filled with laughter.
Misha watched everything in silence.
A scene like this… she had never seen before in her entire life.
Step by step, she slowly began to grow accustomed to it.
The dining hall was large. Long tables were arranged in rows with chairs on both sides. Most of them were already occupied.
The room buzzed with chatter—a familiar kind of noise, yet strangely comforting rather than intimidating.
Tias and the others sat down at an empty spot and pulled Misha along with them. Empty plates were already set in front of each seat.
In the middle of the table were large trays filled with various dishes.
Not long after, one of the caretakers asked everyone to be quiet for prayer. The room gradually fell silent as small heads bowed obediently.
When the prayer ended, the lively chatter returned.
Misha continued observing everything around her.
"Misha, do you want me to get some food for you?" Tias asked.
Misha nodded softly.
So far, she had simply agreed to whatever was offered to her.
Before long, her plate was filled with food. Yet she stared at it as if it were something unfamiliar.
She scooped up a small portion with her spoon and held it in the air. Her eyes drifted toward Tias and the other children—watching how they ate, how casually the food disappeared into their mouths.
Then she looked back at her spoon.
Slowly, she took a bite.
Her eyes widened instantly. A small spark of light flickered within them.
"Well? It's good, right?" Tias asked.
Misha nodded quickly. She chewed in silence, swallowed, then took another bite.
And another.
Without realizing it, her pace began to quicken.
She kept eating quietly. Her spoon moved faster now, as if her body had recognized something even before her mind could fully understand it.
Warm.
She liked it.
Very much.
It wasn't just the taste on her tongue.
Something else flowed gently from within her chest—like a thin current spreading throughout her entire body.
Then suddenly—
'Glitch.'
"…?"
Her vision trembled slightly.
It wasn't the room that changed. Another layer had appeared within her sight.
Thin lines of light formed a transparent frame at the corner of her vision.
Three... Two... One.
As if an invisible system had begun its initialization.
Her heartbeat sounded louder in her ears. Then a notification appeared—clearer than the others.
[RESONANCE – ACTIVATED]
For a brief moment, the sounds of the dining hall faded away. The chatter of the children became distant, like echoes from far away.
A strange sensation brushed against her consciousness.
It wasn't pain.
And it wasn't fear.
It felt more like… recognition.
As though something inside her had finally answered a long-awaited call.
Her head tilted slightly. Her heterochromatic eyes—one yellow, one red—blinked slowly, trying to understand something only she could see.
"What's wrong, Misha?"
Tias's voice pulled her back.
The layer of light was still there.
But now it had dimmed, as if waiting.
"…Nothing. It's nothing," she whispered.
Yet deep inside her, something had already begun to stir.
Misha herself…
had not even realized it yet.
※※※(Chapter—14)※※※