The creature charged forward toward the priestess. She stood firm, holding her ground. With her visor on, we couldn't see her full expression, but her mouth was closed shut, her focus centered on the monster. As she braced herself, she moved her right arm, the sapphire pendant from her necklace flashing as it slid out from inside her right sleeve and as soon as it was out, she grabbed the chains binding it, extending her index and middle fingers, sliding the chains almost to the tips. Then, she simultaneously swung the necklace in a circling motion. The necklace made a whooshing sound, as if it were swung with powerful force, and it rotated instantly.

  Her movement was swift and precise. As the necklace rotated rapidly, she abruptly stopped her hand's swing. For a split second, her hand was still, and then she pulled her hand back and, in quick succession, thrust it forward, grabbing the pendant of the necklace. The chains whipped and bound tightly in her hands. She clenched her hand around the pendant, the faint rustle of her fingers on the silver. Stepping her left foot back, she pulled her right arm slightly, her fingers tightening on the pendant. The almost imperceptible crk of her clenched fist faded, and as the silence settled, she made a slight forward movement. But then, the medic, in a blazing fast motion, stepped in front of her, blocking the creature's attack and with brute force sending it staggering a considerable distance with only their bare hands. Then, the medic said to the priestess.

  "I'm in charge here, so don't need to make a move" they said to the priestess behind them while still focusing their attention to the creature.

  The priestess nodded, then released the pendant from her grip. The pendant and chain fell, but she stopped them by placing her middle and index fingers on the chain again. She rotated it with her fingers, and as she did, her arm flipped upward, releasing and sending the necklace into the air. It then fell as the priestess opened her hand. The necklace fell not into her hand but into her open sleeve. She then moved her hand down and settled it in a horizontal position in front of her chest.

  "I'll be your backup" said the priestess, extending her hand toward the medic. As she made the gesture, a bright, ball-shaped light, emitting a blue glow, began forming in front of her hand.

  The medic didn't respond verbally but instead prepared themselves with a defensive stance. Their right leg stepped back, their left leg forward, and their hands were positioned in front of them, mimicking a fighter's stance.

  The creature, trying to stand again after being staggered by the medic, let out a loud, horrific scream as it rose. The sound vibrated in every direction, sending terror through the air, tearing through the quiet of the medical facility. The creature charged again with ferocious speed, its long arms stretching forward, its razor-sharp claws opening toward the medic and priestess. The speed of the movement created a shockwave. The medic braced themselves for the impact, while the priestess stood behind them.

  On the recruit lines, Eric watched all of this unfold in horrified fascination. The creature’s movements were disturbingly swift, and its movements were quick despite its size. If it were me it charged, he thought, swallowing hard, I’d be dead.

  The priestess, surprisingly composed, stood her ground. The ball-shaped light, emitting a blue glow, shone intensely as she shouted,

  “Aztoim, protect us! Grant us power to defend ourselves of all that harmed us!” , as she shout her chant her voice echoes and vibrate through the building. A huge hexagonal like hologram shield started to appeared in the front of the medic, it appeared and line up in few succession, forming multiple layers of shield.

  As her chant echoed, all other medics and priestesses in sight beside moved in harmony, forming a perimeter circling the creature. The officers at the front of each recruit line stepped forward to shield the recruits.

  The creature kept charging despite seeing the shield that had appeared. Its massive form blurred in the swiftness of its motion. As it closed the distance, it began slashing at the shield, but the attack recoiled, and the creature was staggered by the aftereffect. Its intense eyes showed no sign of giving up as it immediately pushed forward to attack again. This time, it swung its claws furiously fast to break the shield. The attack sent multiple shockwaves across the room, and yet the shield still held strong.

  Amidst all this, a man from the line charged forward, passing all the guarding medics and priestesses and jumping toward the creature. As the man was about to land near the creature, he performed a concise kicking strike to the back of its head, abruptly stopping its attack. The creature staggered and hit itself against the hexagonal shield. The medics who were protected by the shield were surprised to see this. The man recoiled from his kick and landed on the floor. His moves were not those of an amateur; they spoke of disciplined training. The creature fell and was momentarily stunned by the kick.

  Jaxon, who was standing beside the Injection machine, calmly observing what is happening, he felt a was ready to take a stance and ready to defend himself if necessary, but looking at what just happened he wasn’t about to jump like that man into the scene.

  "Let them handle it," he thought, his gaze narrowed.

  "I'll have to survive first, to come to the moon."

  The creature stood again, enraged, and turned its attention from the medic to the man who had kicked its head. It lashed out with its claws, furious, glaring at the man. But the man was ready. He chuckled, rubbed his nostrils, and smirked. The man was tall and muscular, with a handsome physique and appearance. His hair was medium length, and he wore a dirty robe over a red t-shirt. His hands were protected by almost torn gloves, and he wore what seemed to be jogging pants. This man seemed to have the most out-of-place outfit of all the recruits in the medical facility; most people there wore formal to semi-casual clothes.

  The creature and the man looked at each other, exchanged glares, and then, in the blink of an eye, moved simultaneously toward each other. A shockwave formed as they clashed, and the creature was pushed back. The man landed another blow on the creature.

  Amidst everything happening, Negi-chan’s avatar reappeared on the screen. She made a "look out" gesture, her voice now curious but also cheerful. It seemed that despite everything that had just happened, Negi didn't see this as an out-of-control situation. Seeing the man battling the creature, she shouted to him,

  “Go, recruits! Show them your power and resolve!” As she shouted this, light sticks appeared, and she held them, cheering like a cheerleader.

  "This is your chance to prove your worth! Nyaa~!" as she cheers to the man the cheerful songs started playing in the background.

  The song echoed in the facility. Some recruits were terrified, while others were baffled and muttered things like:

  "Isn't this her original song?"

  "You mean this VTuber is just playing a song despite all this horrific stuff happening right now?!"

  "A song like this is what we're supposed to hear to lift our spirits! Truly, Negi-chan is my idol!!"

  Many people in the lines questioned what was happening. The song was calming and fast-paced, giving the sensation that you could face anything in life and prevail. While the song played, everyone asked why it was playing, but now almost everyone just went along with it. Eric noticed a zapping sensation inside his head, was dumbfounded for a second, scoffed, and then just went along with it like everyone else.

  Lena, seeing the man fighting the creature alone, was worried. She closed her eyes for a second and heard a voice echo in her mind,

  "If you can, act. A small act is better than nothing".

  She then opened her eyes and moved from the back to the center where the creature was standing. She decided to act. She ran forward, shouting to draw the creature’s attention away from the man.

  “Hey! Over here!” Lena shouted while running toward the creature.

  The man on the center, notice this and then shout with a terrified expression

  "Wait! NO!!".

  The creature, notice the sound coming from its back, and then turned around, it sees Lena, and then roared at her, not long after that the creature charged towards her, its claws outstretched again as it charging. Lena, despite her bravery, stumbled back, she forgot she cannot do anything to that monstrous creature in front of her, why she would do this, she asked herself within her mind in a split second as creature was charging, the fear is displayed on her face.

  In that instant, Jaxon saw Lena running towards the creature from distance, his eyes widen as the creature charged towards Lena, he shifted the attention towards her, she stood there shaking in her feet, with fear on her face, the familiar face that he was sure denied before in the cubicle.

  It was Another person....

  It was not her....

  It was not....

  It was...

  The way she stumbled, the fear in her eyes—it was a mirror of that terrible night.

  “Julius… please…”_ Her voice echoed in his mind, a desperate plea.

  The memories surged back, the guilt, the rage, the self-loathing.

  "You failed her then. Are you going to fail her again?" The voice echoes, the feeling surged through him, the cable that attached to Jaxon and connected to the machine displayed something.

  "Integration Complete".

  Jaxon's breath hitched.

  "No." He wouldn't fail. Not this time.

  "AGHHHHHHHHHH!!", as he then surged forward, an instinctive growl rumbling coming out of his throat.

  The movement created shockwaves around them. Within a split second, Jaxon intercepted the creature’s attack with his bare arms, preventing it from reaching Lena. He could feel his muscles hardening, a primal instinct awakening within him. Power surged through his body, and then he broke the clash with a punch that connected with the creature's hand. The punch staggered the creature, and the force of their clash shook the very floor. Swiftly, from behind, came the man who had been facing the creature before, sending another kick to the creature's belly and sending it even further away from Jaxon and Lena.

  "Hey there," the man said, his voice strained but steady.

  "Trying to protect someone?" He was lean but wiry, with close-cropped dark hair and focused, intense eyes.

  Jaxon, his focus entirely on the creature, didn't respond.

  "My name is Jin," the man continued, a hint of admiration in his voice.

  "Glad to make your acquaintance!" said the man happily towards Jaxon.

  Lena, now behind Jaxon and Jin, looked on in a mixture of fear and gratitude.

  "T-T-Thank you, if not for you both I would be...."

  "No, need to thank us miss, we just doing what we supposed to do, helping someone that in needs!"

  "Y-Yes..." as Lena nodded to the respond while still trembling and a shaking a little.

  Jin, quickly, glanced at Lena and then advert his eyes back to the creature. The three now stands in the front of the creature as it rose back again, looking at them.

  The other recruits, witnessing the fight, were on the verge of breaking the line formation. The officers on the front of their lines, however, remained impassive, their eyes fixed straight ahead, as if they were not caring to the chaos in sight.

  A loudspeaker crackled to life. “Any recruit who breaks formation will be shot on sight!”.

  The creature, now facing both Jaxon and Jin and Lena, roared in frustration. Eric, still frozen in place, just watch as the event unfold. He knew he should do something, maybe like that Jin guy, jumped forward and join the battle, but he couldn’t if he did, he'd be dead, the thought running on his mind. As the monster was about to make it stance to prepare attacking the trio again, Negi-chan’s that was singing song on the screen, stops her song, and then she shout.

  “Wow! What a good display of teamwork! Jaxon, Jin, and Lena, you three are truly shining examples of courage and camaraderie!” She paused, her gaze seemingly fixed on Jaxon.

  “And Jaxon, you’ve just demonstrated one of the amazing effects of the Vita-Serum! Enhanced physical abilities! Isn’t that inspiring, everyone? That could be you! But remember” her tone shifted slightly,

  “Ahh! I Forgot to say this but remember the serum works best when you accept it. Resist, and… well, you could end up like that” She gestured towards the fallen creature.

  “So just relax, just embrace the change, and let the serum do its magic!” She winked, making a pistol gesture with her hand, sparkling stars erupting from her fingertips.

  “Everything is under control!”

  As she spoke, trails of light began to appear in the air around the creature. The lines shined white with a light blue outer glow, moving in a circular motion and forming circles. As the circles formed, flickers of light appeared in the center of each. Four circles were created. The light soon scattered, and the inner space within the circles turned black, speckled with numerous small white dots. Immediately, there was a metallic cranking sound coming from inside. Swiftly, a gust of wind, as if something had been launched from within, followed by continuous cranking metallic sounds. From the inside, it seemed long, connected chains were being ejected.

  The top of the chains moved so fast it was a blur, whipping toward the creature's body, wrapping around it, locking and binding it tightly. As it bound, the creature was snapped, frozen in place. The chains' shackles could be heard ringing as the creature tried to move, but to no avail. The creature, now locked like it was a display in a lab, stumbled against the chain. It tried its best to move, a loud screech escaping its grotesque, crystal-laden head. For a moment, the creature had a terrified look in its eyes, a sudden fearful emotion, a gesture that seemed disturbingly familiar, almost human in its fear.

  Before anyone could react, the screen flashed with stylized, idol-like text: "Fans! Assemble!"

  Negi-chan called out, her voice now amplified and echoing through the room,

  “Alright, my lovelies! Time for a little clean-up!”

  When she shout, an enormous circle started to form and then from the inner side shined burst of pink light. The screen flashed again, with Negi pointing her finger towards the creature

  "Fans! Liberating!"

  From the pink light, dozens of silhouettes emerged, and then a squad of soldiers stepped out. But these were not the same soldiers as the ones in the medical facility, nor did they resemble anything Eric and the others had seen when they arrived at the military base. The soldiers' uniforms were stylized; they wore pink uniforms. Atop their heads were stylized fox ears, the same as the ones on Negi's avatar. Their faces were concealed by black masks, the center of each displaying a furious fox expression. They moved with unnerving precision, charging forward toward the creature Negi had pointed out.

  The creature, struggling to break free from the bindings, seemed to be growing weaker. Its movements no longer even shook the chains. As it struggled, it saw the newly emerged soldiers and turned its attention to them. As the soldiers approached, Negi, still on the screen, changed her clothes and the scene she was in. The scene now resembled an elite military office. Behind her was a grand-looking chair. She let her body fall into the chair, bumping against it and leaning back, her legs crossed. Black glasses appeared on her face, and she moved her head upward, as if looking down at the creature. Then, she gracefully moved her right hand upward, all fingers closed except for her index and middle fingers. As she did this, another circle appeared, and another chain whipped toward the creature, locking around its neck.

  This time, the chain glowed red instead of blue, and the creature seemed to be in deep pain, its jaw fully open as if it wanted to scream, but no sound came out. The creature began to try furiously to break free from the chains, its movements chaotic, as if it were fighting for its life. The chains, however, still held strong. As it furiously shook its body, trying to break free from the bindings, it let out a distorted, inaudible screech, almost like a human scream, its eyes widening.

  The soldiers advanced, their expressions hidden behind their masks, but their movements conveyed efficiency. One of the soldier, wielding a laser blade, approached the creature with the very fast movement. The creature react, its eyes wide with terror, it tried to back away, but the chain held it fast. The soldier raised their blade, and the creature flinched, a gesture of pure, primal fear.

  The blade descended. Swurs!

  The creature’s scream was cut short, replaced by a wet, gurgling sound. A soldier had severed one of the creature’s arms. The severed limb, still twitching, was pulled back by the chain. As the limb fell to the floor, blood spilled from the creature’s torso, bursting out like a fast-moving current. This caused the creature’s movements to become even more erratic. As this happened, the creature let out another scream, a sound disturbingly close to human grief.

  The soldier carrying the blade continued forward, their laser blade dripping with the creature’s dark blue blood, which vaporized, creating a blue mist. The soldier then slashed the creature again, this time with deliberate slowness, cutting off its left leg. The chain retracted again as the leg was severed. Negi, visible on the screen, still looked at the creature, her head tilted upward slightly. With her glasses on, her expression couldn't be clearly seen, but she was smirking, as if savoring the moment. The creature, its remaining arm and leg trembling, seemed to have no strength left to stand. It fell, but because it was locked by the chain around its neck, its head couldn't fully descend. The creature now stopped moving chaotically, but its muscles still twitched. Its eyes, visible from below, were almost like a dead fish's eyes. Not long after, it closed its eyes, as if accepting its fate.

  Just then, from the stunned crowd of recruits, a single voice pierced the tension. "ALELALEALEALEALEAAAAAAA!" shouts Eric from the line.

  Eric then have his face flushed crimson, clapped a hand over his mouth. He had no idea why he'd shouted that, no idea where that strange, almost random yell had come from. He wish he could disappear after what he just did.

  Negi-chan lifted her glasses, momentarily surprised, and leaned forward, looking around to see who had screamed. Her gaze landed on Eric. A small smile played on her lips, and she gave him a playful wink before leaning back again. This time, she sat straight, her legs still crossed, her attention focusing again to the scene.

  The soldiers were unfazed by Eric's scream. The soldier who had held the laser blade earlier plunged it into the creature’s chest. The creature’s body convulsed, a final, shuddering gasp escaping its lips. Its head lolled to the side, still chained and suspended by the neck. As Eric watched, the creature's head glitched for a split second, revealing a glimpse of something disturbingly like a human face beneath the grotesque crystal head.

  The remaining soldiers closed in on the creature, pulling out their own laser blades. They surrounded it, their movements precise and harmonized. All of them then charged, slashing and tearing the creature apart, ripping its flesh continuously for several seconds. The creature’s body, now little more than a mangled mess, twitched and spasmed as the soldiers continued their gruesome work. Dark blue blood sprayed in every direction, painting the floor of the medical facility. Some of the blood also appeared to have a grotesque crimson color mixed in. The air filled with the sickening stench of burnt flesh and the metallic tang of blood, mixed with something else… something sickly sweet and faintly...

  The recruits, forced to witness the event unfolded before their eyes, many were recoiled in horror. Some covered their mouths, stifling vomit. Others simply stared, their eyes wide with fear that this is the battle or the environment they may or will face later in the battlefield.

  As quickly as it began, it ended. The creature, now unrecognizable, was reduced to nothing but a sludge of flesh and blood on the floor. All the chains retracted back to wherever they had come from. The pink-clad soldiers stood silently for a moment, their weapons vaporizing the creature's blood, creating, once again, a dark blue mist around them. Then, with a synchronized movement, they turned off their laser swords and bowed toward Negi-chan.

  Negi, on the screen, seeing this, stood up with a cheerful attitude again. The screen zoomed in on her eyes as she winked and said,

  “Thank you, my dears!” The scene behind her and her outfit then switched back to the previous casual one.

  The circles reappeared and swallowed the soldiers whole. After that, all the circles vanished. The medical facility was eerily silent. The only sound was the breathing of every single recruit. The air hung heavy with the stench of death.

  Negi-chan’s avatar remained on the screen, her expression calm and cheerful once more.

  “Like I said, right? Everything is under control. Nyaa~!” She winked again.

  Jaxon, Jin, and Lena stared at the scene, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief. The other recruits were equally stunned, their mutters and whispers filling the void.

  “What… what was that?”

  “Pink soldiers? With fox ears?”

  “Did… did they just…?”

  “That’s… that’s insane.”

  “I thought this was a military operation, not a circus.”

  “They just… tore them apart…”

  “I’m never sleeping again.”

  “Is that… is that serum safe?”

  “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

  “What the hell did I just sign up for?”

  “I want my mom.”

  The murmuring continued, a mix of fear, confusion, and disgust. The recruits were clearly horrified by what they had witnessed—the sheer strangeness of the situation and the implications of the serum's power. Eric, meanwhile, was still trying to process his own outburst, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

  The aftermath was swift and clinical. A clean-up crew, clad in biohazard suits, arrived to clean the mess. They moved like machines, their actions precise and silent. The gruesome remains vanished in what seemed like an impossibly short time. The lingering stench of death was also gone in an instant after the clean-up crew sprayed the air with powerful disinfectants. While all this happened, the priestesses and medics who had surrounded the creature went back to their positions around the injection machines, moving so casually as if nothing had happened. After the floor and the scene had been sanitized, the clean-up crew moved in harmony and left the facility through the back room.

  Negi-chan’s avatar reappeared on the screen.

  “Alright, recruits! Let’s get back on track! The injection phase will now continue” Her tone was upbeat, with not even a mention of the horrific scene that had just occurred.

  Whispers and murmurs could be heard among the recruits. The tension still hung heavy in the air.

  How can we go on after this? the unspoken question echoes in the air.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Jaxon, along with Lena, were escorted back by a medic and a priestess to the back of the facility. Anyone who had already received the serum will and still Alive will passed the phase and will have to go the back of the facility to continue, their expressions display mixture of exhaustion and dumfounded to this almost unsettling calmness attitude, displayed by the military. The first batch of recruits, those who had undergone the procedure before the interruption, were also present, some looking dazed, others strangely invigorated, all of them were also escorted to the back of the facility.

  The officers from each remaining recruit line instructed the recruits to continue, but the heavy tension in the air froze most of the people on the front line. Just as the next batch was being organized, a different, tall priestess emerged from a door at the back of the facility. She walked elegantly, each step echoing through the facility. She was different from the other priestesses present. The white robes she wore stretched long behind her, dragging as she moved. Her sleeves touched the floor, but the design prevented them from concealing her hands. The front of her body was covered by long blue sapphire cloth, upon which were written yellow symbols that Eric couldn't read, but he recognized them as likely scripture from Aztoim's teachings. Her headwear was distinct, and the colors of her vestments blended dark and pastel hues, accented with yellow laces. She exuded an air of authority and serenity.

  She raised her voice, speaking to all the recruits present, in a calm, reassuring tone.

  “My children,” she began, her voice gentle yet powerful,

  “I know that you have witnessed a disturbing event. Fear and doubt may cloud your hearts, you may afraid to push forward, but you must remember why you are here. You are here to help humanity, to face the unknown, to become heroes"

  "Do not let the fear consume you. May the courage filled your heart, embrace it, and let it embrace you, as we all are will be blessed by Our Lord Aztoim”.

  Jin, who had moved to the front of the line because of the incident, clenched his fist, his eyes filled with admiration for the priestess. Her words resonated with him, reinforcing his own sense of purpose.

  The priestess’s voice traveled throughout the room, bringing a soothing calmness to all the recruits present. The tense atmosphere began to dissipate, replaced by the calm and serenity she exuded. The recruits' resolve began to reappear. She clasped her hands together and began to pray, her voice soft and melodic.

  Eric, who had been focusing his attention on the newly arrived priestess, paused in his thoughts, noticing something above her head. A faint, golden halo-like ring seemed to hover there. He wondered what it was, but the priestess’s prayer quickly drew his attention instead.

  “O Our Lord, Aztoim, guide these souls who seek to conquer the unknown, your strength. Grant them courage in the face of fear, resilience in the face of adversity, and faith in the face of the unknown”

  As the priestess prayed, a feeling of bliss washed over Eric. He closed his eyes slowly, responding to the feeling, his body relaxing. The image of the horrific event, or anything else that had been on his mind, faded away. He felt a profound sense of peace, a calmness he hadn’t experienced in years. The prayer seemed to guide him to a place where fear and doubt no longer existed. It was beautiful, like being in a calm savanna filled with flowers, where the breeze felt gentle against him. Then, as he still had his eyes closed, he heard a rustling sound. Instinctively, he opened his eyes again and looked toward the sound. There, he saw someone—a red-haired woman wearing a brown shirt under a lab coat, her hair tied back. Her face held a worried expression mixed with sadness. Her hand was placed on her chest as she said,

  "Please, I'm sorry, Eric."

  "Please forgive me," she said, starting to cry and tilting her face down. Eric just stood there, looking at her as the wind breezed past him.

  The effect was similar for the other recruits. The priestess’s words and the serenity of her prayer had a profound impact. Whispers began to circulate, but now they were different.

  “She’s right. We can do this.”

  “We have to be strong.”

  “For humanity.”

  “I’m not afraid.”

  “I will accept the serum.”

  “I will become a hero.”

  Despite the horrific scene they had just witnessed, the recruits, having their courage back up again by the priestess’s words, they shared the sense of peace, the resolve sparks again in their heart. Now many of them believed that if they accepted the serum, they too could overcome any challenge, any fear. They would prevail.

  Eric opened his eyes again, bowing his head down for a second, then look up at the front again, noticing that the priestess that he saw before was missing, but he pays no mind to it and probably that just what the priestess supposed to do and after her role was done she just excuse herself out. On the screen Negi-chan smiled brightly and then proceed to announce the continuation of the injection phase.

  “Okay!!! everyone!! have you keep up your spirit? now we will continue to batch 2!!” she shouted, performing a cheerful pose.

  The injection process resumed, proceeding smoothly this time. Almost everyone was successfully injected with the serum. Some recruits experienced minor side effects like headaches or nausea, but none were serious.

  Jin’s batch was also completed. He thanked the medic and the priestess with high-spirited enthusiasm. “Thank you both! I’m ready to face whatever comes next!”

  The medic, unfazed by Jin’s exuberance, simply said, “Move on.”

  The priestess, however, appreciated Jin’s enthusiasm. “May Aztoim guide you”

  Negi-chan’s avatar then popped up on the screen, addressing Jin directly. “Jin! You were amazing back there! Such bravery! Nyaa~!”

  “It was nothing,” Jin replied, scratching his head sheepishly. “Just a reflex.”

  Batch after batch was processed, and finally, it was Eric’s turn – Batch 7. He clenched his fists, trying to calm his nerves. He walked to the front of the stage, the medic asking him the standard questions.

  “Name?”

  “Eric Rossvolt.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “Roznia City.”

  The medic recorded his answers on their tablet. Before the injection began, the priestess approached Eric, her expression gentle and reassuring.

  “Mr. Rossvolt,” she said softly.

  “Is there anything you would like me to pray for? I would gladly offer my help to ease your tension.”

  Eric hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

  “Nothing,” he replied.

  “I have nothing in particular. Thank you, ma’am.”

  “Very well, Mr. Rossvolt” the priestess responded, and smiles for him.

  She then clasped her hands together and began to pray in a low, melodic voice.

  “Aztoim, watch over this recruit as they embark on this journey. Grant them strength and courage, and guide them through the trials that lie ahead. May they find peace and purpose in your divine light.”

  As the priestess prayed, Eric closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He focused on the sound of her voice, the rhythmic cadence of the prayer calming his nerves. He felt a momentary sense of peace, a brief respite from the anxiety that had been building inside him.

  Then, the serum injection began. Eric’s heart pounded in his chest, his pupils dilated, his muscles tightened. He felt a wave of nausea, and his breath hitched. Seconds stretched into an eternity. His vision blurred, and his eyelids felt heavy. Slowly, he closed his eyes, feeling himself drifting away.

  Suddenly, he found himself standing on a vast sea. He was standing on the water, an impossible feat. The scene surrounding him was immense, the sky above a star-studded, cloudless night. Not far from him, he saw a creature. It was humanoid in shape, but its skin was a deep, unsettling blue, and crystals grew from its body. It was humming, a low, mournful sound, like a cry. Eric was frozen, unable to move or speak, trapped in this surreal vision.

  the blue-skinned creature, screeching, shaking, the creature face its head down, trembling in fear, and uttering unrecognizable sounds,

  "Plrasr... Plrasr... Hrlp..... Plrasr..."

  Eric was still observing the creature, he did nothing, neither approaching it nor making a movement, his eyes fixated on the scene. suddenly the creature lifts its head up to Eric's direction, and then he saw it—its face. Surprisingly it was like a... human, they exchange glance, the creature's eyes are filled with deep blue dark color, the pupils covering almost all of the eye's surface. Eric moved his head forward slightly narrowed his eyes for a second, and then returned to his original position. The creature moved its hand and mouth. Its left hand, shaking, with all the crystals embedded in its body, moved slowly and it felt heavy from Eric's perspective. Its hand opened and seemed to be reaching out to Eric, and then it uttered something once again.

  "Plrasr... Plrasr... Hrlp..... Plrasr..."

  Eric was surprised for a moment by this gesture. His hands tried to move forward to respond to the creature's outstretched hand, but then he stopped and slowly retracted them. All of a sudden, the sea in which they were both standing began to shake. The water moved violently in every direction, causing large waves to appear. Eric nearly lost his balance. The creature continued to reach out its hand to Eric. Eric opened his hand again and began to move forward toward the creature, but then a roar came from below the water. Eric instinctively looked down. From the depths, a large shadow approached the surface. As Eric lifted his head again to face the creature, a wave separated them. The creature screeched again, this time louder.

  "Plrasr... Plrasr... Hrlp..... Plrasr..."

  Then, from the depths, something enormous and blazingly fast approached the surface. The creature cried out, a sound of pure anguish. From below, something lunged upward, erupting tidal waves that sent the creature soaring into the sky. For a split second, before the wave hinder Eric's view, he saw enormous jaws with colossal teeth. The creature screamed even louder; this time, he could clearly hear its plea—a plea for anything but help. But Eric was washed away by the wave, and a second later, something that had come from the depths was now visible.

  It was an impossibly large body stretching from the sea to the soaring, starry skies. It was like a serpent; its scales were a deep, jade-like blue, reflecting the light from the scene. Its head was massive, and its eyes shined bright red, radiating an aura of immense power, a primal force that seemed to warp and tense the very air around it. The creature clearly is going to get devour by this serpent, Eric still standing from far from them, the creature still reaching out to him. This is it, the creature is going to get devoured by the serpent, this is it this is the

  "Acceptance"

  you must accept the fate, the voices echoes in Eric's mind, as the time moves slowly, while he’s looking at the scene, then his old life, his past flashed before his eyes.

  It was back when I was working as a research assistant at the academy. There was this girl, Ilsa. She had beautiful red hair tied back, and she liked to wear her lab coat—she thought we scholars were supposed to show our identity upfront. She was cheerful, too. Her work on campus was also as an assistant, but she worked under a professor rather than for the campus itself. We often talked and had conversations because we shared the same break time. She often told me interesting things about dreams and the inner mind. She said that on Earth-2, scientists had discovered that you could alter the outcome of mind-bending or mind-affecting phenomena by changing your mindset with your own suggestions and beliefs—that you could literally change everything that happened to you mentally. I argued with her about it.

  "Well even if we could alter it, what would it be useful for?" I was trying to be skeptical about the idea.

  "It could theoretically, protect us from, you know mind eater or mind-altering substance or to cope the pain.... From something we want to forget" Ilsa replied with her enthusiasm.

  "Hahaha, well I don't know about which one is more wilder, your theory or your imagination" I had chuckles when she utter her respond.

  "Well, better be prepared right? Is not like this planet is safe anyway! So this research may prove useful"

  "True, true, well, you could teach me the trick if you were so inclined"

  "Sure, meet me after you‘ve done with your work, we will try experimenting with the method to increase your mental fortitude, so you would actually see it in action rather than just take my words for it" said her in confidence.

  "Alright" said me to her with no expectation whatsoever.

  We would conduct experiments to enhance my mental fortitude almost everyday by having me control my dreams. According to her research and a paper she'd gotten from Earth-2 (published by the scientists there), this would be the first step toward controlling one's mental state. At first, I thought it was a bunch of nonsense, but after a month, I started to feel something different about how I perceived my dreams. I could control them just as she'd described; I could make anything happen that I wanted and desired. Now, I started taking this experiment seriously.

  "I couldn't believe this is actually working, did you already test it to yourself before?" I asked Ilsa.

  "Of course, fufufu, I was league ahead of you!" said her smirking while making this show off smiles.

  "Alright what's next then?"

  "Well next would be bypassing the hypnosis phase, i would be able to hypnotize you by planting seeds of belief first tho"

  "Alright sure, let's go"

  For the next two months, she would try to hypnotize me, and I would succumb and then break free from within. This proved difficult for me, as I had mastered it, but it took more time than before. However, after I mastered this aspect, I would break free from the hypnosis easily, even if I was initially caught.

  "Well, Well, Well, I have to say you got me on this, you proved me wrong, I'd say you have my thanks for that" I said to her to admit my defeat and scepticism toward her research.

  "Fufufu, you should be grateful ahahaha!" she laugh.

  "So what's next?" asked be curiously to her.

  "Well, next is that you just have to applied this two when you being controlled with something that messing your brain, basically you have to hypnotized yourself and then control your own inner thought just like you control dream and then break apart anything that want to control you, tho i don't exactly have anything in hand right now to test it out, but if we followed the research paper, by doing that you should be good, you even could hypnotized yourself to do something unbelievable in reality, if you could project your inner thought and make your inner domain be your own body. Well at least that's what it says on the paper"

  "Sounds interesting, I'll keep in mind, let me treat you for a meal, after all you've done, as my thanks"

  "Now that's some gratitude you showing! Hehehe I'll take your offer"

  After that, we'd chat here and there again if we met during our break time at the academy. She was in the research department focused on the mind, and I was in the department of philosophy and metaphysics—a field many at the time argued was a waste of money. But hey, I got free money and free knowledge, so I wasn't complaining. Ilsa was usually with her professor, the famous Hugo Kaelion. And yeah, he was a noble. I don't know why a noble would come to Earth-1 just to teach at this planet's university. Ilsa was particularly close with Hugo; she would praise him often when we talked and discuss his research, mentioning how she'd get the Earth-2 papers from him. Now that made sense of how she could obtain those papers in the first place.

  Months after the experiments we did together, I still saw her around, but the frequency was a bit less than usual. Soon after, it started to become rarer. I would only see her passing my department like once a week, her face drawn and tired, like she'd overworked herself. I would try to catch up with her and ask if we could discuss things sometime again, but to no avail; she kept avoiding me. After a while, I finally met her in the campus corridor. It seemed she hadn't expected this encounter either; she seemed surprised to see me, kind of weird, but I didn't think anything of it at the time. So, I approached her and asked...

  "Uh hey? You've been avoiding me all this time? What's happening? Are you doing well? You seems to overworked yourself? Wanna talk?"

  She's unresponsive and shaking while also avoiding eye contact with me.

  "Uh Ilsa? You're good?"

  "Uh.. Yes.. I'm good, I have something to do bye" she rushes quickly past me with her hand trembling and shaking.

  I look back at her and said.

  "Catch you later?" I said it back to her from behind, but she didn't respond to my call.

  And then professor Hugo appears at the end of the corridor, and she lunges to his embrace, and Hugo seems to calming her down while patting her head and they walk away together.

  "Huh, weird, I guess she just don't want to see my anymore??"

  I didn't think anything of it and just moved on. Not long after my work hours ended, I packed my things up at the campus to go home. But this time, I was in the mood to enjoy the campus scenery and clear my head, so I wandered around. When I passed the Research of the Mind department, I walked by to see if Ilsa was still around, just to see her one more time before leaving. I don't know why I did this, but once again, it just my concern perhaps. When I was almost near her research room, which she and Hugo shared, I heard voices coming from inside.

  "Dr Hugo, she's gorgeous yo! hahahaha i couldn't believe you would get this beauty in this shithole planet hahaha".

  What the hell is this voice? I started to listening closely and moving closer without making a sound to the room.

  "She's now good, I put her under the control, beside smart she also have this voluptuous body hahaha" this time it's Hugo's voice.

  "Damn what a good girl she's obedient little kitty hahaha" sounds like different voice from the first one I heard

  "Now, now doctor, shall we do it together all of us in here??" this one seems like the first voice that talked before.

  "Of course, right Ilsa?" Hugo speaks again.

  "Y-yes.. Please.. Please give me....." This time it's Ilsa, it's definitely Ilsa.

  Hearing Ilsa's voice, I quickly peeked through the slit window in the room. There, inside, were three men. One was Hugo, and the other two I didn't recognize. Their pants were off, and there was Ilsa. She was chained like a pet, wearing cat-ear headbands. Her expression, her eyes, were those of a nearly hypnotized person, and she was giggling while looking at the lower halves of the three men. I was furious at the sight of this scene. And then, one of the men said...

  "Come my kitty, swallow mine, hahahaha" and then they all laughed.

  I couldn't hold my rage no more, i furiously slammed the door to the room quickly shout.

  "BASTARD!! WHAT THE FUCK ARE ALL OF YOU THINKING!!"

  All of them were looking at me, including Ilsa. I glanced at Ilsa for a second and then focused my attention on the three men. I clenched my fists, ready to fight these assholes, but they just laughed at me.

  "Look someone wants to join, hahahaha" said one of the man

  "Ohh you should've told us we have more company Hugo" said another one.

  "Ohh pardon my immodesty gents, and of course Eric Rossvolt, i didn't know why you still on campus but if you want to join us, come in Hahahahaha" said Hugo while laughing at me.

  "FUCK OFF, LET HER GO RIGHT NOW!!"

  Two of the men besides Hugo then laughing and says.

  "Whoa, whoa seems we have the big guy here hahahaha"

  "Yeah, the Hero that save the day hahaha"

  "Easy, Mr. Rossvolt, do you think we are afraid of someone of your caliber? Ahahahaha, beside this is fruit of her research, she endure herself of this activity, in order to funds her academic research because he family went bankrupt a year ago, to ease the pain she wants me to teach her the mental fortitude technique, AHAHAHAHAHAHA WHAT A WAY TO ENDURE THE PAIN, NOW SHE WAS DEEP IN ITS PLEASURE!!! DON'T YOU SEE IT, SHE IS THE ONE WHO WANTS ALL OF THIS, ALL OF THIS FOR MONEY MR ROSSVOLT!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!"

  I was shocked and dumbfounded, standing still. Memories flashed before me: the time she taught me the technique, everything we'd done together. Then I remembered when she first explained why this technique would be important.

  "It could theoretically protect us from, you know mind eater or mind-altering substance or to cope the pain.... From something we want to forget"

  "to cope the pain...."

  "so it was from that time... Why don't you ask for help... Ilsa..." echoes in my head.

  "AGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!! FUCK OFF ALL OF YOU!!!" I scream as I lunge toward one of the man.

  But as soon as I lunged, one of the men grabbed my neck and strangled me. He was taller and more muscular than me; from the start, it seemed my chances of doing anything to them were abysmal. That's why they were so confident about fending me off.

  "Ughh... Ghh...." I can't let my voices out, I get locked.

  "Hahahahaha now, now now, see what we telling you before? You should've join us" said the man who strangled me.

  "Right, hahahaha" said the man beside him.

  "You can't win Mr. Rossvolt, these two are military general, they have artifacts and they were superficially enhanced human that went to the moon, you basically grant yourself a death ticket" said Hugo.

  While amidst all of this Ilsa continue to please Hugo while i was seeing it strangled.

  "OOOHHH, that's right Ilsa, don't stop, just ignore him hahaha" Hugo respond to her action.

  Meanwhile, i.. I was almost certain i would be dead here, strangled by this man in this forsaken place, with the girl that I consider as a friend having to please assholes in the front of me, while they're laughing at my misery.

  My mind went blank, I passed out and drifted,

  "All of this shit, and i can't do nothing? What a failure of a man i am..."

  "I hope my sister doesn't mind if i died like this.... Well... I would've mind..."

  Something come back at me... Ilsa's last word about the technique...

  "hypnotized yourself to do something unbelievable in reality, if you could project your inner thought and make your inner domain be your own body"

  "The final lesson eh, sounds like this is the trial..."

  "Would i be able to do it?...."

  ......

  From the chaotic waves caused by the serpent, a deafening shockwave could be heard. It launched something from the surface into the sky—a figure. It was Eric! Somehow, he was able to launch himself from the surface with supersonic speed toward the serpent. The serpent noticed Eric, and Eric smiled, his eyes widening. As adrenaline coursed through his body, Eric laughed.

  “Of course” Eric said, laughing maniacally at the precipice, then punched the serpent.

  The impact of his punch sent shockwaves through the air. The serpent's direction was altered, and its jaw was forced closed, then it fell. The creature was dumbfounded and utterly shaken to see what had just happened, but Eric didn't seem to care about the creature as he punched the serpent again and again until it was pushed back into the water. The serpent then recoiled and raised its head again from the water, now changing its focus to Eric instead of the creature. Eric, still maintaining his smile, fell back down to the surface, all the while looking at the serpent.

  A grin spreads across Eric’s face, a genuine smile of pure joy. He clenches his fists again, and made a stance in anticipation. He's not thinking about the creature that reached out for him, and not about the danger of the situation. He's thinking about the fight, focusing only to a singular point in his mind, and that was. Fight.

  The serpent lunged forward toward him, its jaws agape. Eric, still smiling, also launched himself far above the serpent. The serpent was locked in its position, unable to change its course due to momentum, its gaze fixed on Eric above it. Eric followed its movement, plunging downward toward the serpent's head. He punched it again, the shockwave vibrating the surrounding air. The serpent was stunned by the impact and snapped its jaws shut immediately. But Eric didn't stop punching; he kept hitting the beast repeatedly.

  The repeated shockwaves created deafening sounds. The serpent roared for the first time after receiving the multiple blows. Meanwhile, not far from the scene, the creature that had reached out to Eric before was now dumbfounded and shocked by what it had just witnessed. It simply sat on the surface of the water, watching the conflict unfold.

  Eric launched himself back from the top of the serpent's head. As the serpent felt the impact, it raged, moving its body, whirling the water, and roaring, its gaze once again fixed on Eric, who had landed on the water's surface. The serpent then plunged into the sea, swirling and moving in a circle at blazing speed. Water began to swirl in front of Eric, who kept his stance sturdy. A tornado vortex began to form on the surface of the sea—a ferocious one. The water current in the vortex moved rapidly upward, and with it, a shadowy silhouette followed. It was the serpent; it had formed a water vortex. Then, from the top of the water, the serpent emerged, its head appearing while its body remained within the vortex. Seeing this, Eric laughed, a sound of pure, unadulterated joy. Lost in the moment, oblivious to everything but the battle, he now faced the force of nature.

  The sea where Eric was standing was unstable because of the vortex, but his eyes remained focused on the serpent. The serpent moved the vortex, leaning it downward toward Eric. The serpent's eyes were fixed on Eric, burning with fury. But there was something else in those eyes, a flicker of… amusement? Intrigue?

  "Is that all you got, fish-face?!" Eric yelled.

  The serpent roared again in response and lunged with the vortex toward Eric. Eric responded by also launching himself upward toward the serpent. The creature before, however, was caught between the battle. It screamed in terror, a high-pitched, desperate cry for help, a plea for mercy. Because the vortex was shaking the water's surface and causing huge tidal waves, it was swept away. As it tried to escape the churning currents created by the serpent's vortex, it couldn't. Though it couldn't drown, the waves washed over it, pulling the creature in every direction imaginable.

  The creature was now an insignificant bystander, caught in the chaos. It cried out, its voice barely audible amidst the serpent's roar and the raging waves. It seemed the creature wanted to reach out to Eric, a gesture of desperate pleading to stop the chaos, but Eric, still focused on the fight, couldn’t hear nor notice anything around him. The creature's cries became distorted, unintelligible, and then were washed out by the waves.

  Back in the medical facility, Eric’s physical body begins to tremble and shaking. The machine monitoring his vitals displays a series of erratic readings, flash of warnings started to appear on the screen. But it’s not an error message, it’s also not a sign of the serum failing or overwhelming him. The medic’s tablet that connected to the machine displays a contradictory message:

  “Injection Successful. Antibody Integration in Progress… Stabilized.”

  The readings are fluctuating, the machine struggling to reconcile the successful injection phase with the ongoing, but seemingly stalled, antibody integration. The word "Stabilized" flickers on the tablet screen, then disappears, reappearing a moment later in repetition.

  "What's happening?" the medic wonder to themselves.

  "The machine… it's never done this before."

  "The readings… they're conflicting," as they checks the tablet again.

  "It's like… the serum has been accepted, but the antibodies… they're not… integrating?"

  The medic then turns to the priestess,

  "Have you ever seen anything like this before?" with slightly worried voice.

  The priestess, with her face displayed a surprised expression, shakes her head.

  "No," she whispers.

  "This is unprecedented, i have never seen anything like this before, was it the same as the one named Jaxon before?"

  The medic then replied,

  “The previous one before has an error indicator, the indicator said the serum successfully injected but the effect would’ve taken more time to adjust to the person’s body”

  “This one is successful, but even so why his body is shaking?” continues the medic.

  Just as the serpent and Eric were about to clash, the vision faded. Eric opened his eyes; he was back in the medical facility. He stared with a blank expression at the white ceiling above, the battle, the aftermath, the adrenaline still coursing through him. He suddenly realized that it had just halted; he felt deep down that the battle wasn't over. It had just begun. After he opened his eyes, the medic and the priestess looked at him instantly and asked him right away.

  “Are you okay Mr. Rossvolt?” ask the priestess gently in a worried voice to Eric.

  “Anything unusual happened? you feel something recruit?” the medic followed.

  Eric looking at the medic and priestess faces just scoff and said.

  “I think it went well, i don’t have any major problem or notice anything unusual”

  The medic and the priestess look at each other, nodded and then, they released Eric from the machine and help him to stands up.

  “Alright recruit, go to the back, you’re qualified to continuing to attuning phase” as the medic said this, they checks their tablet and write something on it.

  “Please, if you feel sick or anything unusual, ask the officer nearby to help” the priestess said gently to Eric while offering him a hand to stand up.

  Eric accepted the help and tries to stand up, as Eric and the priestess hand hold and touch each other, the priestess feels a bit zap like electricity spark from Eric’s hand, and by reflex released her hand, Eric surprised and ask the priestess.

  “Uh? mam? are you okay?”

  “Eh-, Y-Yes, I’m sorry Mr. Rossvolt” as if she snaps back to reality, she hold Eric’s hand again, but this time there was no spark or anything.

  And then Eric goes to the back of the facility to begin the next phase. after some time all the recruit have passed successfully with the injection phase, all the medics and the priestess have fulfilled their duty and about to be dismissed, but the medic and the priestess that handle Eric before, curious about something in their mind.

  The medic lifts their masked and googles, revealing the long tied black hair, tired looking lady, while the priestess also disable their visor and it also open up her face, they started conversation.

  “Hey, Ms. Yori, do you think something unusual about recruit number 785, the one named Eric Rossvolt” ask the priestess to the medic.

  “He’s the unusual one, but the serum still works so no protocol needed for any abnormalities” said the medic back to the priestess.

  “But when I touch his hand for the first time, I felt a spark and then i saw a big serpent like the one in the Kaelion House’s symbol, just like when we did accept the serum and see the image for the first time, but this time it was staring at me with furious stare, and it was roaring at me too, I stand still can’t move a muscles there, i was terrified…”

  “Don’t think much of it, it was probably the after effect of the serum, we all felt something different anyway when we first got injected, but everyone knows that the serpent will protect us from the Voiders right? at least that’s what the church always told us” replied the medic.

  “Yes.. but I don’t know why it’s angry at me and looking a me like that, isn’t the effect supposed to be gone when the cycle of the serpent devour the evil ends?”

  “Don’t ask me I don’t know shit about any of the specific details, I thought you know it better because you choose to be a priestess, isn’t it Venna?”

  “Hmmm, I will ask or look it up later, for now let’s grab some meals on our way out” said the priestess cheerfully.

  “Fine by me” the medic replied.

  “I hope that recruit get a good artifact later so he doesn’t ended-up in the shittiest place on the moon” the medic chuckles as she said this.

  Now, on the back of the facility there’s a lift that will take everyone down to the bottom of the base, everyone who passed the serum injection phase will be carried by this lift, above the lift there’s hologram of Kaelion Enterprise symbol lights up by the laser below around the edge of the front side, as all the recruit who passed are lined up again, now the numbers are almost the same as before, with few of the people who were there missing, this due to the side effect, so some people will get rehabilitated first before continuing the phase, in the line there are Eric, Darius, Lena, Jaxon and Jin among the others. The hologram changes, revealing once again the familiar figure, it was.

  “Hellooooo, everyone!!! congratulations to all of you in here who passed the injection phase!!, now now we will shortly begin the next phase!! so don’t forget to lift your spirit up!! cuz after this we are going to fly!!!! to the space!!!” Negi-chan appeared again and cheering for the recruits.