In that garden, those present began to thaw slowly, though they did not lose consciousness. They had been trapped in an invisible prison of ice that allowed them to observe everything happening around them but prevented them from moving or intervening. Not only were Podbe’s companions there, but also other people who had been captured by the same spell. As they felt the cold dissipate from their bodies, everyone collapsed to their knees on the ground, breathing heavily, finally freed from the frozen cage that had immobilized their hands and feet. The initial joy of being free quickly turned into terror when a metallic roar echoed through the air. Before them emerged a gigantic steel bird, with enormous wings gleaming under the dim light, legs armed with blade-like claws, a tail ending in an intimidating spiked ball, and red eyes that seemed to pierce the souls of anyone daring enough to look at it. Instead of a brain, inside the central cabin was Dior, watching them with a mocking smi

They all continued along the path toward the last floor of this inverted tower. Upon reaching the door, they placed Dior's credential. Once again, the light on the door changed from red to green, and a click sounded, indicating that it was open and ready for them to enter.Meanwhile, on the same floor—inside the seventh floor—Doctor Laos was observing the monitors alongside his three assistants and Doctor Swang, watching the effects the substances were having on Aiden’s body. His blood pressure, neurons, and other organs, along with his immune system, were in complete turmoil, struggling to fight against them."Do you think the boy will hold up?" Swang asked Laos, naturally affirming her response. "This boy, according to the analysis, is one hundred percent an excellent test subject. One of his parents wasn’t part of my father’s experiments. He comes from the other side, the place where certain beings live. Perhaps he is one of them. In my father’s notes, I found a lot of information

The dog stood in front of the beast because, after talking with Reia and Aiden without reaching an agreement, he decided to face it to save his new friends. Podbe stood tall with every hair on end, as if every fiber of his being was ready for battle. He repeated to himself mentally: "I can do this, I must protect them, or at least try. This cannot be the end.""Don't be stubborn, Podbe," warned Reia with a tone mixed with concern and frustration. "The system itself says you don’t have the strength needed to defeat it.""We can’t lose, right, Aiden? We’re the good guys," replied the canine, activating his hardness ability as he advanced toward the beast with fierce determination."What are we going to do?" asked the frightened children, watching as the enormous beast approached with gigantic steps that made the ground tremble beneath their feet.Eduard tried to calm Adia, who had curled into a fetal position after seeing that creature emerge. As she babbled, she kept repeating: "This c

In the cave where Agent I-Five entered and from which he has yet to emerge, we encounter Xen, an artificial intelligence housed within a robot whose design resembles a metallic skeleton wrapped in armored plates. On a cold, rusted table, unable to move, lay the agent, with a helmet connected to a machine that looked like an old computer, as large as if it were an industrial server from another era. The air was thick with static electricity, and the constant hum of fans echoed off the damp walls of the cave."I still haven't found anything valuable; I'd better keep investigating," said Xen coldly as he observed the bound agent, his mechanical eyes glowing with a reddish gleam. "And I enjoy inflicting pain on others," he added with a frivolous laugh that resonated like scraping metal.As he continued to dig through the memories in the agent's brain, a shrill alarm shattered the silence. On the central computer screen, an alert appeared: the mutated creatures, known as the moles, had bee

The cocoon began to open slowly, revealing a strange and fascinating creature. First, horns resembling antennae emerged, attached to what appeared to be its head, followed by arms similar to those of a human. Finally, the rest of the body slid out of the cocoon with an almost hypnotic grace. Once the red light enveloping the cocoon had completely faded, the creature was fully exposed to everyone.It had a humanoid shape, but its head was adorned with two pincers that could initially be mistaken for antennae. Its face resembled that of a human, except for the nose, which had been replaced by a structure akin to that of an insect. Instead of a nose, it had bright red eyes with blue irises that seemed to burn like embers. Its body was covered with lion-like skin, and its hands had four long, slender fingers. Its feet ended in hooves, though they gave the impression of wearing shoes due to their natural design. On its back, a protective shell housed small insect-like wings, still motionle