It doesn't take long for a heavily escorted ambulance to arrive at the NEXARIS branch office
The NEXARIS branch office in the capital is not just a building - it towers as a symbol of absolute power and control.
It's a skyscraper with a futuristic design and almost absurd architecture: the lower part of it functions as a high-tech research center, complete with state-of-the-art laboratories, testing rooms, and the most advanced bio-synthetic facilities in the world.
The outer walls of the building are made of impenetrable glass, reinforced with adaptive nano-metal coatings that can change color according to threat level and security needs. From a distance, several underground layers are faintly visible: secret data storage rooms, experimental subject detention, and biological weapons development facilities.
Meanwhile, the upper floors of the building are filled with sterile workspaces, administrative AI systems, and high-level coordination centers. At the top, there was a luxurious executive office-usually occupied by the Regional Branch President. But today, the room was silent. The leader was nowhere to be seen.
Outside the building, the atmosphere was far from calm.
The main gate of NEXARIS was swarming with reporters from various well-known media outlets. News cars are lined up neatly on the side of the road, cameras are running non-stop, and microphones are pointed expectantly. The sound of live broadcasts interrupted each other, signaling that something big was happening.
A female reporter from VOX Metroline, wearing a bright red blazer, stands tall in the crowd. Her hair was messed up by the wind, but her voice remained firm towards the camera:
"We are in front of the NEXARIS headquarters in the heart of the capital, where reportedly a teenager with abnormal biological abilities has just arrived. There's no official confirmation yet-but reliable sources say that the incident at Harrowfield is no ordinary occurrence..."
Not far away, a young reporter from NovaNews picked up the microphone with a worried face and a slightly trembling voice:
"Is this the beginning of a new era? Are we witnessing the rise of the 'Biological Anomaly'-which has only been a rumor in secret government documents? We tried to ask for clarification, but so far, there hasn't been a single statement from NEXARIS' side."
Behind them, cameras from the Global Tribune captured the moment a convoy of black NEXARIS vehicles entered the basement through an exclusive underground passage.
A senior journalist spoke in his trademark investigative tone:
"According to documents leaked from civilian intelligence a few weeks ago, there is a project codenamed Project NOCTARION. Many believe that
the entity brought to this building today is the center of that project. If true, then the world will soon be changed... not by war, but by biology."
The crowd began to grow.
Some people from outside the media also stood behind the police line, carrying protest posters:
"STOP EXPERIMENTING ON KIDS!"
"NEXARIS IS HIDING THE TRUTH!"
Security guards tightened the perimeter. Surveillance drones flew low, and an automated voice from the security system warned everyone not to approach the perimeter fence.
A veteran reporter from The Urban Echo, an elderly woman with a sharp voice, stepped closer. She spoke calmly but forcefully into her camera:
"This is not just a story about a teenager. It's a story about power, control, and science that has transcended the limits of human morality. And we-the public, the media, the world-deserve to know who William Louren really is."
Beyond the cacophony outside, deep in the bowels of the building-in a sterile room never exposed to natural light-a body lay in silence.
There was no sound of reporters, no hustle and bustle of the city.
Just machines ticking away, waiting for an uncertain life.
Liam is currently under the care of the NEXARIS medical team. His body was severely injured after a long journey and an incident that had yet to be revealed to the public. Several cutting-edge medical instruments were working simultaneously: treating the torn tissue, scanning his brain activity, and monitoring his fluctuating biological stability.
Liam was still unconscious. But his pulse is unusual-sometimes too fast, then suddenly slowing down. The machine beeped softly but regularly... as if waiting for something.
Liam woke up in the same dream again.
Just like before-his hands and feet bound on a cold metal bed, unable to move. The nose-piercing metallic smell, the blinding white lights, and the piercing silence. Nothing had changed.
Behind the thick glass facing him, Octarion stood still, observing.
"What do you want to do?" asked Liam in a flat tone, his gaze sharp, empty of fear.
The wounds that still lingered on his body seemed insignificant compared to the exhaustion of his soul.
Octarion smiled smugly, his eyes narrowed with pride.
"You've realized it... Who's stronger here?"
Liam only sighed softly before replying, sarcastically.
"I knew you wouldn't let me die. Because you-live in this body.
You can only affect me, impact my power. But out there... you're nothing."
Octarion's smile grew wider.
"Bravooo... you're smart now too."
He began to pace slowly, entering the room. The sound of his bootsteps echoed, cold, sharp as knives.
"So, now that you know all that... what are you going to do, huh?"
Liam began to squirm, trying to break the shackles that bound his body.
"Damn it...!" he hissed softly, full of anger.
"Are you scared now, snot-nosed boy?" taunted Octarion, moving closer until his face was only inches from Liam's.
"Look at you. Limp. Helpless."
But Liam stared back at him with a look of contempt.
"Afraid? Why would I be scared of a parasite like you?"
"Even to stay alive, you need me, you idiot!"
That remark enraged Octarion.
His hand shot up quickly, grabbing Liam's neck until his breath was choked.
"Arggh... hh-hh... Wh-what... you... want... to... die..."
Octarion loosened his grip only to slam Liam's head hard into the metal bed, until there was a resounding metallic thud.
Breathing raggedly, Liam continued to speak through his pain.
"Stop... bothering me... stupid..."
"You asked me to let you sleep for a year yourself... Isn't that so!?"
Octarion was silent for a moment. His face was tense.
"You couldn't even quell my anger. You just disappeared.
Fine, one year... but if you stop giving that power-stop...
heal me-everything will be done.
I would be free. From prosecution, from pursuit. From... YOU."
Octarion's eyes began to turn red, full of rage.
He shouted loudly, then lifted Liam's body with just one arm until his legs dangled in the air.
"DON'T EVER ORDER ME AROUND!"
And with brute force, he threw Liam's body towards the watch glass.
The thick glass cracked, then shattered. Liam's body bounced, blood splattering in the air.
Then-he woke up.
His breathing was labored. Cold sweat soaked his body.
However... the look in his eyes was different now. Not only fear. But also angry.
And deep inside-Octarion was still awake.