During his stay in the main world, Rahul did not waste a single day. Alongside managing his growing empire, he continued his research on the specimens he had brought back from the other realm. With his enhanced laboratory, better resources, and a team of controlled assistants, he was able to push the boundaries of biological experimentation further than before.
Over months of rigorous testing, Rahul developed three distinct experimental organisms. Each arose from modifications of the original specimen he had perfected in the other realm. Yet, only one of them showed real promise.
The First Specimen: This strain was highly reproductive, able to multiply exponentially inside a host or environment. However, it lacked any advanced functionality beyond raw reproduction. It acted more like a blunt biological weapon — devastating, but without any real scientific or practical value for Rahul's long-term goals. He discarded it as a failure.
The Second Specimen: This variant was slightly more sophisticated. Not only was it reproductive, but it also granted minor physiological enhancements to the host's body — increased strength and faster healing. However, it was extremely unstable and lethal to most hosts. Its toxicity made it unsuitable for extended study or practical use. Rahul marked it as a partial failure, noting some useful pathways for future development but shelving it for now.
The Third Specimen: This was the breakthrough. A completely new variant born as a by-product of the second experiment, yet unlike anything he had created before. This organism functioned as a neurological parasite. Once inside the host, it would lay approximately 100 eggs. After hatching, a selection process occurred:
32 out of 100 larvae would migrate directly to the host's brain, integrating with neural tissue.
During this process, the remaining larvae would die or be destroyed by the host's immune response.
Finally, 16 of these surviving larvae would successfully establish control over the host's neural pathways, effectively overwriting their will and turning the host into a biologically enhanced puppet under Rahul's theoretical control.
This was the first organism Rahul had developed capable of direct neurological domination rather than simple destruction or enhancement. However, he knew this was just the beginning. It required far more testing, refinement, and field data before it could become a reliable tool.
For Rahul, this wasn't merely about creating another weapon. This was about laying the foundation for a new kind of biological science — one that didn't just kill or improve, but one that could fundamentally rewrite life itself at the neurological and genetic level.
He documented his findings meticulously, preparing the next stage of experiments. The Power Potions had given him physical supremacy; now this new specimen promised something even greater: control.
Rahul had always known that theory meant nothing without practice. The third specimen — the neurological parasite capable of brain takeover — was promising in its controlled form, but only field experimentation would reveal its true potential.
He began cautiously.
First Stage: Animal Trials
Rahul's laboratory contained several controlled biological models: rodents, primates, and a few captured beasts from the wild. The third specimen was introduced into these animals under controlled conditions.
In rodents, the infection cycle was rapid. Eggs hatched within hours, but the brain capacity of such small creatures was insufficient. Hosts died within three days due to uncontrolled hemorrhaging and neural collapse.
In larger animals, however, the results were different. Out of 100 introduced larvae, the expected pattern emerged: about 30 survived initial immune resistance, 16 attempted neural integration, and anywhere from 4–10 successfully fused with the host's brain.
The outcome was extraordinary — the host's natural behavior changed. Some animals became unusually calm and obedient. Others exhibited enhanced aggression, attacking cages or even ignoring food while focusing entirely on external movement.
Rahul meticulously recorded these results. He realized the parasite did not merely control — it amplified certain instinctive pathways, depending on the host's biology.
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Second Stage: Human Subjects
Animals were only a prelude. Rahul needed human data. And for that, he turned to the most expendable resource available: captured criminals and political rebels, secretly delivered by the Night Watchers.
The first volunteer — unwilling, of course — was restrained inside a reinforced glass chamber. A single specimen was introduced into his bloodstream through contaminated food.
Day 1: Subject experienced fever, nausea, and abdominal pain. Standard immune response, identical to the earlier infections.
Day 2: Tremors began. Parasite eggs hatched, and early-stage larvae migrated toward the neural system. Subject screamed continuously, showing signs of cranial pressure and migraines.
Day 3: Out of 100 eggs, the expected 32 reached the brain. Seizures occurred, then subsided. The subject entered a state of near-catatonia.
Day 4: Sixteen larvae successfully integrated with neural tissue. The subject regained mobility — but with a vacant stare. He responded only to Rahul's voice, obeying basic commands such as standing, walking, kneeling. No rebellion, no resistance.
Rahul's notes were calm, but inside he felt a surge of triumph. The parasite had created a controllable puppet.
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Refined Observations
Subsequent tests revealed variations:
Some subjects retained fragments of their original personality, resisting control for a time before succumbing.
Others became violent and unstable, as if their brains had been partially corrupted.
A few rare cases resulted in complete and perfect obedience, with enhanced strength and speed due to the parasite's metabolic changes.
For Rahul, these results were golden. Even the failures taught him something: that control was not absolute, and that refinement would be necessary if he wanted a reliable army.
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Rahul's Conclusion
"This is beyond weaponry," Rahul wrote in his notes. "This is the blueprint for an entire new hierarchy of life. An organism that does not merely kill or empower, but governs thought itself. With further stability, I can create soldiers, spies, and servants who will never betray me."
The Power Potion had made him strong. The Night Watchers had made him feared. But now, with the neurological parasite, Rahul had begun to touch something greater: dominion over will itself.
And he knew, this was only the beginning.