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A monster. That's what was following him.
A true monster, hidden beneath the appearance of a fifteen-year-old boy.
He ran.
He ran, he ran, he ran, again and again, gasping for breath, chased by horror.
The researcher, his face marked by an empty eye socket and a blood-stained lab coat, fled through the corridors. The walls were smeared with crimson splatters, the lifeless bodies of his colleagues littered the floor. Every step echoed like a countdown. He was exhausted, but he couldn't stop: his mission was clear. He had to lock this monster away forever. Releasing it into the human world would be a disaster.
Finally, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
Researcher: Damn… I have to blow up this lab.
His hands trembled as he programmed the self-destruction sequence. Suddenly, a presence made itself felt. Heavy. Suffocating. A vile, oppressive aura. The most terrifying being this world had ever known.
It appeared.
A teenager with black hair and empty eyes, wearing a torn, blood-stained lab coat, broken chains still dangling from his wrists.
Researcher: Damn… N7! Stay where you are!
But the boy stepped forward, calmly, and in an instant closed the distance between them. His black eyes stared coldly at his prey. With a swift motion, he grabbed the researcher by the throat and lifted him like a ragdoll.
Researcher: Arkhhh…
His legs kicked wildly, his hands clawed desperately at the monster's arm. His eyes turned red as he screamed in pain, gasping for air. But the boy tightened his grip and, without a trace of emotion, slammed the researcher's head against the control panel.
The researcher realized he wouldn't make it out alive. But one last task remained.
Researcher: I-I… have to… press… this button!
With a final effort, he raised his hand and slammed it onto the panel.
A click. A spark of hope.
He had done it.
And in a deafening crash, the laboratory exploded.
---
Night had fallen.
A young girl sat on a rock, deep in the forest.
Girl: I came here to clear my head… but I have to admit, the stars are still so beautiful. Bright… eternal.
Although… maybe I wandered a little too far.
Her black hair, streaked with red, blended into the shadows of the trees. Wearing a dark t-shirt and blue shorts, she stared at the sky, lost in thought.
Girl: Well… I should probably head back. Who knows what kind of weirdo I might run into at this hour…
She stood up, stretched, and took a few steps when a distant, thudding sound echoed. An explosion.
Girl: What?! What was that?!
… I should just ignore it and go back… This isn't a manga, if I check it out, it'll end badly.
… But… if I keep my distance, it should be fine, right?
Okay, I'm going.
She started walking, then running through the trees. Ten meters. One hundred meters. One hundred fifty. Until she came across a sign: Private Property.
Girl: If I'm here… it means it's really close.
She ran faster, and soon saw flames dancing in the night. Debris lay scattered everywhere, burned, and at the center: chaos.
Girl: What… is this mess?!
Her eyes widened. An infernal scene lay before her: the ground was covered with corpses, about twenty people of all ages, lying in eternal silence.
Shocked, she moved cautiously, each step echoing like an intrusion into a nightmare. Then suddenly, something caught her attention: someone was moving.
A teenager, about her age. His eyes and hair were black. And most importantly… he was alive.
Girl: There's… someone alive!
… Okay, I'm taking him with me. And I'm getting out of here, fast.
---
And so began the story between this girl… and this boy.