[Morning – Edge of the Forest]
Ari and Tracey stepped out of the village, heading toward the dense forest looming ahead.
The trees rose like giants—thick and ancient, their canopies tangled into an almost seamless roof. Sunlight struggled to find its way through, casting only scattered shafts of gold that danced on the forest floor. The deeper they ventured, the darker the path became. Shadows stretched in every direction, shifting with their every step.
Tracey (frowning, glancing around): "Ari… we've entered the forest, but how are we supposed to search it? It's huge."
They kept walking—branches cracking beneath their boots, roots curling like serpents across the path. The silence grew heavier, the kind that pressed against your skin and made you feel watched.
Ari (calmly, her eyes scanning ahead): "The sound we heard last night… it didn't feel close. It was distant—likely from the middle or far end of the forest. We'll start in the middle, then move toward the far edge. And since we're familiar with the magic signature… we might be able to track it more easily."
As they moved deeper, even the birds stopped chirping. The forest seemed to hold its breath.
The air turned cooler. Older.
They pressed on—past thorny bushes, moss-covered stones, and trees that looked like they hadn't been touched by human hands in decades.
________________________________________
[Meanwhile – Outside the Old Lab Building]
Dawn (softly): "So this really is that lab…"
Gray didn't answer. He simply stepped forward, pushing open the rusted door. It groaned like a dying beast. Dawn followed without hesitation.
Inside, time had collapsed.
The walls were cracked—veined with green moss and blackened water stains. The ceiling sagged where rot had taken hold. Chunks of stone littered the floor, and grass had clawed its way through the broken tiles.
Dust coated everything like ash.
Faded papers lay curled on desks, their ink half-erased. The scent was a mix of rust, mildew, and something chemical—something wrong.
Dawn (scanning the room): "Judging by this mess… the villagers weren't exaggerating. No one's stepped in here for years."
They split up.
Dawn made her way toward a collapsed shelf, flipping through files and tools that had long since lost meaning.
Gray stood at the main desk.
His fingers hovered over the old yellowed papers, but his eyes… weren't really seeing them.
He had been here before.
Years ago.
With Ren.
The day they brought down the scientist.
And saw the boy.
The boy that shouldn't have existed.
________________________________________
[Flashback – Years Ago]
Smoke.
Screams.
The village had already been burning when Gray and Ren arrived.
Ash swirled in the air like snow. Homes crumbled, beams snapping like bones. Fire clawed at the rooftops. Children ran. Mothers cried.
And in the middle of it all—
A boy. No older than them. Barefoot. Eyes glowing an unnatural red.
Veins pulsed beneath his skin, filled with unstable, surging energy. Every step he took shattered stone. Every breath sparked electricity.
He wasn't just out of control—
He was a weapon unleashed.
Gray spotted a small girl curled on the ground, paralyzed by fear.
The boy raised his fist.
Gray didn't think—
"Reflect!"
A mirror-like barrier snapped up just in time, catching the punch with a blinding flash.
Ren (already moving): "Cover me!"
BANG!
A bullet—wreathed in flame—cut through the air and struck the boy's leg.
BANG! BANG!
Two more shots—perfectly aimed—hit chest and thigh.
But the flames vanished beneath his skin. The wounds closed. Not even a flinch.
Gray (staggered): "He's… healing too fast!"
Ren (gritting his teeth): "He's not just unstable. He's… enhanced. Way beyond natural limits. That lunatic… he did this to his own son."
Lightning began crackling off the boy's arms—gathering. Charging.
And then—
He vanished.
CRACK!
Gray: "Ren! Left!"
Ren: "On it!"
The boy reappeared mid-air, eyes blazing, fist cocked back. Ren fired—
BANG! BANG!
Hits—perfectly timed.
But again, the boy absorbed the damage like it was nothing.
And then—he attacked.
Gray fired—
CLINK!
The bullet struck his own summoned mirror, twisting in mid-air and rebounding with brutal force—
Impact.
The boy staggered back.
Ren didn't wait.
He rushed forward and launched a burning kick into the boy's ribs.
Boom!
The boy growled, turning with impossible speed—striking low and sweeping Ren off his feet.
CRASH!
Ren slammed into a nearby wall.
Gray (breathing hard): "He's too fast—"
Another flash of lightning.
The boy reappeared in front of Gray, punch flying at his head—
CLANG!
A mirror shield blocked the blow, the surface cracking under the force. Gray flipped backward, landing in a crouch.
Twin pistols aimed.
Gray: "Reflection Shot: Spiral Break."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The bullets spun—bouncing off mirror panels that Gray summoned in mid-air. They came from all angles—zigzagging like snakes of light.
Some struck.
Blood spilled.
But again—instant regeneration.
Ren (getting up, bleeding): "He's slowing… a little."
Gray (quietly): "Still a kid… Even an enhanced body has limits."
The boy roared.
No—screamed.
It wasn't rage this time. It was agony.
His body twitched. Lightning burst from his joints, tearing the ground apart. His breathing was erratic. Wild. Desperate.
His strength was now tearing him apart from the inside.
Gray (eyes widening): "It's happening… He's breaking."
Ren (low, almost whispering): "The potion's overloading him."
The boy collapsed to his knees—screaming as magic erupted from within him.
Gray (raising his weapon): "Ren. Now."
Ren (quietly, bitterly): "I'm sorry, kid."
They acted.
Gray's silver bullet curved mid-air, hitting a hidden reflective plate behind the boy—
Striking with full force.
Ren unleashed his Infernal Barrage—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A storm of fire bullets tore through the electric aura.
The final shot struck center chest—cracking already damaged tissue.
BOOM.
A pulse of magic burst outward—then faded.
The boy collapsed. His lightning died. His body twitched once, then stilled.
Only the rising smoke and ruined street remained.
________________________________________
[Later – In the Lab]
They found the scientist still in the lab.
Sitting.
Staring blankly at the wall.
As soldiers dragged him away, he never spoke. Never resisted. He just… watched the floor.
Gray (staring at him, voice low): "You did all this… to your own son."
Ren didn't say a word. He just walked out.
The child's screams still echoed in his ears.
________________________________________
[Present – Back in the Lab]
Gray stood frozen at the desk, fingertips brushing the same scarred wood.
He could still see the boy—his eyes, his lightning, his pain.
Dawn didn't interrupt. She could see it in his eyes—that faraway look. The weight.
Gray (quietly): "That boy… never had a normal life. Never had a choice. People called him a monster…"
He clenched his fist.
Gray: "But he was never the villain. We didn't kill the evil. We only ended the nightmare."