In this world, among the entire population, there exists a specific group that is rather peculiar.
If we look deeply into the structure of society, we find a faction of people who exist solely to define the word "truth." They are simply referred to as "researchers."
These individuals are like the cogs that drive the world forward. However, those cogs always have two sides, and I have only just realized right now that the world I lived in for 9 years possesses a shadow far darker than I had ever imagined.
On the bright side, researchers are heroes in white lab coats who dedicate themselves to humanity. They are the group striving to conquer diseases once deemed incurable, developing technology to extend lifespans, or creating innovations that allow us to surpass our physical limitations toward a more convenient future.
For these people, the outcome of their research is measured by the smiles and survival of their fellow human beings. They serve as proof that humanity still possesses a heart and a conscience to support one another.
However... wherever there is light, a shadow bound to follow. In the deepest dark, there exists another group of researchers who view the world in an entirely different light. To them, "humans" are not living beings with flesh, blood, or souls, but merely "data sets" or "pieces of experimental meat" that hold no value unless they yield interesting results.
This group of researchers consists of twisted rationalists. They are obsessed with shattering existing boundaries, completely indifferent to how brutal the methods may be.
In their eyes, ethics are merely obstacles blocking progress, and morality is nothing more than a hindrance to their boundless curiosity.
Their laboratories do not exist to save lives, but rather to extract "potential" from those unfortunate bodies. Whether it involves injecting chemicals into the spine or performing surgical alterations on organs that defy the laws of biology, they care only about obtaining the "numbers" they desire. If an experiment fails, the living being that once possessed a name and a breath is discarded like worthless bio-waste.
The terrifying aspect of these people is that they act with absolute indifference—an indifference to the pain of others that is far more chilling than any conventional form of evil.
And it seems... the new life I thought was so blissfully comfortable for the past 9 years has indeed ended.
...
(1 Year Later)
Has it been a year? Or perhaps longer? Or maybe it hasn't even reached that point yet?..
Forget about the time... I didn't even know whether it was night or day, because if you looked up, all you would ever see was a stark white ceiling.
Ever since I became their guinea pig, what I had to endure each day could safely be described as the absolute worst period imaginable. It was a literal hell on earth.
Every single hour, you would hear the agonizing screams of children. Those sounds could easily drive you completely insane.
The torment taking place was the source of a desire to end one's own life among the children, and I was no exception, because the pain was beyond description.
"...."
Do you want to know what exactly they were experimenting on to make the children scream to that extent?
It was an injection into the spinal cord... But surely a mere injection wouldn't cause that much agony, right?.. Exactly, if it were something a normal hospital used for injections, it wouldn't cause these symptoms.
The issue lay within the substance they were injecting. An extract derived from cells that, if you knew where they originated from, would leave you utterly stunned.
The first time you heard it, you might laugh because it sounded entirely absurd. But if you knew the truth alongside what they revealed to us, you wouldn't be able to laugh even a bit. It was a revelation that completely shattered the common sense of ordinary people.
(Flashback)
"Mister, why did you bring us here? Where are my parents?"
"And where is this place?"
"Ugh... [sniffling]... ugh..." (crying)
"Why are my hands and legs tied up?"
Each of the children was shouting frantically as they regained full awareness after waking up.
"Now, now, children, calm down first. Your uncle here will explain everything to you."
The playful words accompanied by the smiling facade of that man allowed the children to relax slightly.
But that tactic didn't work on someone like me. Having lived a solitary life in my previous existence allowed me to see right through the masks that humans construct.
Eyes never lie, and what was reflected in his eyes was... amusement? Excitement?
"My name is Professor Fergus. You can call me Fergus-ojisan. This place is my home. As for why I brought you all here, it's because I want to conduct a little experiment~"
The man answered.
"An experiment?"
A young boy muttered in confusion.
"That's right! I want to test you all with my project. It's called the 'X-Class' project, which I am going to build from this moment on!"
The man shouted while spreading both arms wide open in front of the children, as if what stood before him was the exact outcome he anticipated for the future.
X-Class?
I heard that once before, what exactly is it?
"What is the X-Class project?"
A young girl asked. She seemed to be remarkably composed.
"Oh~ No need to rush. Before I answer what it is, let me ask you all a question. Do you believe in the supernatural?"
The man continued to speak in a relaxed, amused manner.
"Eh? Do you mean ghosts?"
"Spirits, maybe?"
"Hahaha~ That's part of it. But what uncle means is magic, devils, fallen angels, dragons, yokai, and all the gods. Did you know that these things actually exist?~"
"...."
"...."
"Puff—hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
The children laughed at his absurd statement.
Huh? Seriously? Or is he just joking?
As I mentioned before, eyes never lie, and what I sensed from his eyes was... the truth?
"Oji-san! Are you crazy? How could such things possibly exist—"
"Milla."
Before the child could even finish speaking, he called out Milla's name.
"Yes."
—Fwip!!
"..!!!." ×20
The moment Milla responded to his voice, what appeared right before them was... wings?
They erupted from Milla's back. Their structure consisted of long, curved skeletal frames, extending outward like colossal fingers, each segment connected by a thin, dark, leathery membrane that faintly reflected the surrounding light.
When fully unfurled, the pair of wings spanned several times Milla's height, acting like a shroud of shadow covering the entire area behind her. The edges of the wings were not perfectly smooth but slightly jagged, giving off a raw, wild, and unholy impression of a creature.
"Ha.. ha.. it's just a magic trick to fool kids—"
"Milla."
He called her name once more.
"Yes."
Milla raised one hand and spread her fingers... What appeared in her palm was a fireball. She then fired it directly at a training dummy positioned in the center of the room.
Boom!!
The dummy was blasted into completely unrecognizable pieces.
"....." ×20
(Dead silence)
Every single person was struck utterly speechless by the sight before them, myself included, because my brain couldn't process it in time.
"Now then~ children, listen up."
He was thoroughly enjoying the sight of the stunned expressions on the children's faces.
After snapping out of it, they turned toward the professor with deeply anxious faces.
"You've seen it now, right? This world does indeed contain the supernatural. Every myth that some of you have studied is real. But what you saw is merely a tiny fraction of the truth hidden beneath the surface of this world."
Professor Fergus walked around the wide hall, the sound of his footsteps echoing like the approach of an encroaching death.
"The world we live in isn't occupied solely by the human species. In the shadows, there are three major powerful factions that have maintained a balance of power for thousands of years... Devils, the rulers of the Underworld with pitch-black wings and insane magical power; Fallen Angels, who were cast down from Heaven, their once-brilliant wings turned dark, wielding devastating spears of light; and Angels, who dwell in Heaven, the ones you used to hear about in bedtime stories. All three sides waged a war of attrition for so long they were nearly wiped out... But that is precisely our opportunity!"
He spewed these words with the demeanor of a madman. Some of the children stared blankly.
Fergus's eyes gleamed with madness. He pointed toward Milla, the girl with the devil wings protruding from her back.
"Milla isn't a pure devil. She is human... just like all of you. But she is the success of a modified 'Evil Pieces' system. Humans like us have pathetic physical limitations, but we possess a gift granted by God, the most magnificent present of all... That thing is called a Sacred Gear, or a 'Sacred Instrument'!"
He continued to rant.
He explained without realizing that the concepts coming out of his mouth were far beyond what children of this age could comprehend.
He then spread his arms wide, explaining in a voice trembling with excitement.
"It is a miracle embedded within the souls of certain humans. It can summon weapons or powers that completely defy the laws of physics. Some might possess healing powers, some might create inextinguishable flames, or even... the power of Dragons. Whether it be the Five Dragon Kings or the Two Heavenly Dragons that the world fears. These powers are exactly what will allow humans to transcend their limits and become gods!"
Several children began to tremble. An uncomfortable silence enveloped the room as the warped truth was laid bare.
"But then again... Sacred Gears do not exist in everyone. And even if they do, they might awaken in a weak form. That's why uncle had to create this X-Class project to 'accelerate' and 'modify' you all! I will inject extracts from the cells of various supernatural races into your spinal cords, giving birth to a new breed of humans!!"
I felt a sudden chill penetrate straight to my core. An extract from the corpses of supernatural beings?
This wasn't an enhancement; it was the forced imposition of a monstrous nature into the bodies of human children.
"You will become modified humans more powerful than pure devils. Some of you might not be able to endure it, and your bodies will collapse, exploding into masses of flesh... That is a normal sacrifice for the sake of progress! But if anyone survives... you will experience power capable of erasing an entire mountain, feel the mana circulating through the air, and you might even possess power rivaling a Maou or a God!"
Fergus laughed maniacally. The lab was brightly illuminated by the cold, unfeeling light of neon lamps.
The word 'magic,' which used to sound beautiful in fiction, now reeked entirely of blood and pungent chemicals. The reality crashing down in front of me was far too cruel to bear. A world inhabited by dragons, devils, and angels... it wasn't a peaceful world. It was a battlefield, and we—the children chained up here—were merely tiny pawns forced to become biological weapons in human skin.
"Alright... begin the second phase of the experiment! Prepare the electrical simulators to accommodate the cells... Let's see who will be the first 'piece' to evolve!"
The screams around me began to echo once more, accompanied by a burning sensation in my spinal cord that started to erupt, as if boiling lava were coursing through my nerves... My consciousness began to fade.
"Oh~ I forgot to mention. Actually, regarding your presence here in the first place, your parents were the ones who willingly handed you over to me from the very start—"
Father? Mother?
And my consciousness completely cut out.
…
(End of Flashback)
(Present)
"..."
It is exactly as you see. And right now, instead of hearing screams filled with children, there is only the sound of absolute emptiness.
Wondering why?
Because two-thirds are no longer in this room. Where did they go? They are likely in a distant place where we will never meet again.
As for those who remain, can they even be considered alive? Some have turned into grotesque masses of flesh, some are brain-dead, and some have strange scales growing along their torsos. Their alterations are far worse than mine. As for myself? Externally, I haven't changed all that much...
I then turned my face toward the mirror mounted on the wall. The image reflected back was a boy looking even more gloomier than usual. My hair, which used to be entirely black, now had white strands mixed into the front. I wasn't sure if it was due to the injected cells or the sheer stress.
But the absolute certainty of a cellular side effect lay within my eyes. My left eye, which should have been blackish-brown, had turned into a brilliant golden-yellow.
You all probably think it looks cool, right? But let me tell you, this eye burns intensely. Sometimes it feels incredibly itchy, so itchy it feels as though something unknown is squirming inside the eye...
Yes, the exterior isn't the main issue; the mental state is the real problem. In my current state, I could practically be described as a corpse.
"Professor, it appears Subject Number 10 didn't make it either."
The woman's voice remained completely unchanged.
"Ah, ah, I see. Dispose of it."
The words coming from that man contained neither pity nor sympathy. There was only indifference and irritation.
"Good grief, why does it keep failing... I don't get it, the process should be entirely correct... Next!"
"Professor, it seems the only one capable of proceeding further is Subject Number 8."
"Huh?"
He then turned toward the remaining survivors before stopping his gaze entirely on me.
"..."
I didn't flinch, nor did I panic. What I felt right now was complete emptiness.
"Hmm... the physical exterior hasn't changed much... hmm.
Alright! Flip Subject Number 8 over. We will begin the final process!"
I did not resist as they turned me onto my stomach.
"We will begin injecting Prime Mutagen-Alpha. Prepare.
3.. 2.. 1.. Inject!"
The sensation immediately following was suffocation, and it was scorching hot. It was vastly more intense than anything before.
"..Ugh.. Ack!.."
An oppressed groan escaped me.
"Professor! The pulse is beating abnormally fast."
"Inject the inhibitor!"
"Yes, sir!"
"This is it! The time has come for the world to welcome a new breed of human! Rejoice, Subject Number 8! From this moment on, you shall demonstrate to the world that—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, in that split second—
Boom!!! Bam!! Boom!!
A series of multiple explosions shook the underground facility violently.
"..What is happening!!."
He spoke in a panicked tone.
"Professor, we have intruders!!"
"What did you say!! Milla, check the security cameras immediately!!"
"Yes."
What appeared on the monitor screen was a group of three intruders. But the terrifying part was their actual identities. One was a silver-haired woman in a maid uniform emitting a freezing aura. Another was a green-haired man possessing an equally formidable presence. But the most prominent figure was the remaining man—a man with deep crimson hair cascading down to his shoulders, radiating an aura so majestic he resembled a demon king... no, that was a Maou.
"A Maou!!! How is this possible!! No one should have known about this location!! Dammit! What do I do! Is the project I dedicated years to going to stop just like this!!"
"Professor! They will arrive here in less than 10 minutes!"
"Dammit! Blast it! Blast it! Blast it!..."
He shouted curses in pure frustration, but then he managed to snap back to his senses.
"..No!.. I can still start anew as long as I am alive!... You guys! Clear all recorded data entirely! Do not leave a single shred of evidence!"
A short while after they destroyed the evidence—
"Milla! Lead the way to the secret exit!!"
"Yes."
"Professor, what about Subject Number 8?"
"Leave him! He won't survive anyway without continuous injections of the inhibitor."
Shortly after, the echoing sounds of their running faded away.
"...Ugh... ha.. ha. I... must... escape..."
I muttered in a raspy voice.
I attempted to lift myself off the bed with my weakened body.
I then stood up on trembling legs, beginning to stumble unsteadily toward the front door.
...But unfortunately, halfway through, it seemed my body reached its absolute limit, causing me to pitch forward.
What I anticipated was the hard, cold floor...
Yet, what I actually felt was a softness surpassing any bed, a fresh scent of soap as if laundry had just been washed, offering a sense of comfort like being at home.
And the screen went black.