A woman with messy, mid-back-length hair lay still on a cold, metal slab, her breathing shallow beneath the heavy mask strapped over her face. She stirred, her arms twitching as she tried to move—only to feel the sharp bite of cold steel digging into her wrists. The heavy chains rattled but held firm, wrapped cruelly around her limbs and waist, restricting even the smallest of movements. Another chain pressed tightly against her throat, forcing her head back against the unforgiving surface beneath her.
The room was suffocating. The damp air clung to her skin, thick with the scent of rust and stale iron—the unmistakable stench of blood. Somewhere in the distance, water dripped in a slow, unrelenting rhythm, each droplet echoing against the walls. Beyond that, faint mechanical hums and the occasional clang of shifting metal reverberated through the space, as if something massive lurked just outside.
Then, the footsteps came. Heavy. Unhurried. The sound of thick boots striking metal sent a sharp jolt of dread through her body. The chains creaked as she instinctively tried to move, panic clawing at her chest. She writhed, yanking at her restraints, her breath coming in frantic gasps against the mask, but the more she struggled, the tighter the chains became—bruising, and even starting to cut into her skin.
A deep, grating creak echoed through the room as a door swung open. Two figures entered. The first wore a fox mask, its painted red surface cracked with age, while the second figure—a man in pristine white robes and a stark wolf mask—stepped in behind him. The door slammed shut with a metallic finality, the lock clicking into place like the closing of a coffin.
"Shall we begin?" The wolf-masked man's voice was smooth, but there was no warmth to it.
The fox-masked figure nodded without a word, moving to an iron stand littered with cruel instruments. The woman's chest heaved as she fought against her restraints, a fresh wave of panic surging through her veins. Her muffled screams barely escaped the mask covering her mouth, only weak, desperate sounds slipping past her lips.
She flinched as she saw the gleam of the blade in his hand.
"I won't hurt you with this... yet," the fox-masked man murmured.
He pressed the knife to the hem of her robe, sliding it up slowly, deliberately, before slicing through the fabric in a single, ruthless motion. The cold air licked at her exposed skin as the blade traveled further up, cutting through sleeves, parting cloth, until he wrenched the ruined garments away. She shivered violently as the metal of the table beneath her sent a cruel chill up her spine.
"W-what do you want from me!?" she screamed, her voice raw with terror.
The wolf-masked man only chuckled. He reached out and twisted a mechanism along the chains at her waist, pulling them even tighter until they dug deep into her flesh. Her body arched slightly in pain, but there was nowhere to escape.
"It's simple," he said, his voice devoid of empathy. "You're just a random bitch who doesn't deserve a damn thing. But don't worry… we're going to change that."
She let out a choked sob, struggling anew, but his laughter only grew darker.
"Hand me the knife," he ordered.
The fox-masked figure obeyed, placing the cold steel into his palm. The wolf-masked man exhaled, his fingers tightening around the hilt as a sinister white aura began to swirl around his eyes. His gaze locked onto her chest for a long minute, observing her naked body, until his eyes peered beneath the skin, through muscle and bone.
And then he saw it.
The glow of her Aura Core pulsed within her like a fragile ember, radiating with the energy that made her who she was. A smirk curled beneath his mask.
"I found it," he murmured, raising the knife.
"Let's begin."
He placed the cold blade vertically in the center of her body, its edge glinting in the dim light before he pressed it into her flesh with surgical precision.
As he drew the blade down, blood welled up instantly, a crimson line trailing the steel's path. The cut past her breasts, the blood flowed more freely as he continued to slice her flesh. Her screams echoed through the room, a mixture of agony and helplessness, her body rigid against the unyielding restraints that held her firmly.
Reaching her stomach, he paused, watching the blood trickle down her skin in rivulets before he lifted the blade and set it on a nearby table, his breath a heavy exhale of anticipation.
"Don't worry... you'll become our tool soon enough and won't even remember who you were before this," the wolf-masked figure said with a chilling calm. He then picked up a rib spreader, its metal gleaming with a sinister promise. Inserting it into the incision, he forced the tool open, the sound of tearing flesh and the sight of her exposed internals accompanied by a fresh gush of blood.
His gloves, now stained with her blood, turned white as he infused them with his aura. He took a small needle, its tip glowing, and slowly inserted it into her body. Her eyes, already wide with terror, snapped open further as he slammed the needle down, the force causing a spurt of blood to mix with the aura. He then pulled the needle up, invoking his 'Seal of Eternal Theft' as a white mist formed in the vial connected to the needle.
"Grab the other vial," he commanded, his voice steady despite the grotesque scene. The fox-masked man complied, retrieving a vial from a small cabinet. This one was pure red with a swirling black mist inside, ominous and foreboding.
Closing one eye, the wolf-masked man concentrated, channeling his aura into his hand and eye to ensure precision. He struck with the needle again, this time aiming for where her aura core resided previously. As he injected the dark mist, blood mixed with the swirling darkness, creating a macabre dance within her body. After withdrawing the needle, he carefully stitched the gaping wound closed, blood seeping through the stitches as he worked.
The two figures then moved towards the door, leaving the woman unconscious from the overwhelming pain. They unlocked the door and stepped out, closing it behind them with a soft click.
"So, which one did we inject her with?" the fox-masked man inquired, his voice curious.
He placed the cold blade vertically along her body, its edge glinting in the dim light before he pressed it into her flesh with surgical precision. As he drew the blade down, blood welled up instantly, a crimson line trailing the steel's path. The cut passed beneath her breasts, the blood flowing more freely as he continued lower, slicing into her abdomen. Her screams echoed through the room, a mixture of agony and helplessness, her body rigid against the unyielding restraints that held her fast.
Reaching her stomach, he paused, watching the blood trickle down her skin in rivulets before he lifted the blade and set it on a nearby table, his breath a heavy exhale of anticipation.
"Don't worry... you'll become our tool soon and won't even remember who you were before this," the wolf-masked figure said with a chilling calm. He then picked up a rib spreader, its metal gleaming with a sinister promise. Inserting it into the incision, he forced the tool open, the sound of tearing flesh and the sight of her exposed internals accompanied by a fresh gush of blood. His gloves, now stained with her blood, turned white as he infused them with his aura. He took a small needle, its tip glowing with his power, and slowly inserted it into her body. Her eyes, already wide with terror, snapped open further as he slammed the needle down, the force causing a spurt of blood to mix with the aura. He then pulled the needle up, invoking his 'Seal of Eternal Theft' as a white mist formed in the vial connected to the needle.
"Grab the other vial," he commanded, his voice steady despite the grotesque scene. The fox-masked man complied, retrieving a vial from a small cabinet. This one was black with a swirling red mist inside, ominous and foreboding.
Closing one eye, the wolf-masked man concentrated, channeling his aura into his hand and eye to ensure precision. He struck with the needle again, this time aiming for where her aura core resided. As he injected the dark mist, blood mixed with the swirling darkness, creating a macabre dance within her body. After withdrawing the needle, he carefully stitched the gaping wound closed, blood seeping through the stitches as he worked.
The two figures then moved towards the door, leaving the woman unconscious from the overwhelming pain. They unlocked the door and stepped out, closing it behind them with a soft click.
"So, which one did we inject her with?" the fox-masked man inquired, his voice curious.
"I injected the core of a 'Vultirion'... I didn't want to waste such a precious thing on her since those are extremely rare to come by but out of everyone we have here... she had the best DNA match with it. So, let's see what happens," the wolf-masked man replied before turning down a hallway and vanishing.
"Vultirion... 'A hybrid of a vulture and a dragon. I don't understand how that happened... not sure if I want to know. But, its feathers are laced with corrosive poison capable of melting flesh on contact, and they all have a very powerful healing property. I wonder what will happen to a human body infused with the core of such a creature... This is going to be fascinating," the fox-masked man mused, his voice dripping with a twisted curiosity as they turned away, leaving behind a scene soaked in blood and horror.
Inside the cold, sterile room, blood pooled beneath the metal slab. After seven long hours, her eyes suddenly snapped open, the hazel color replaced by a dark crimson hue. Her irises shimmered with an eerie golden light, a strange mixture of dragon and human.
The surgical stitches that held her skin together began to tear as her wound rapidly healed, the cut vanishing in mere seconds. "W-Where am I?" she thought, confusion clouding her mind. Her fingers instinctively clenched into a fist, and with a surge of strength, she tore through the chains that bound her, shattering them effortlessly as the wounds from the restraints sealed up almost instantly.
She stood, feeling the unnatural power coursing through her body, and approached the only mirror. Her black hair, now streaked with glimmering veins of gold, caught the light as she stared at her reflection. She barely recognized herself. "I-is that... m-me?"
She heard the door unlock, the sound of metal scraping against metal echoing through the room. On instinct, she lifted her hand, and a faint mist of blue poison began to pour from her fingertips, swirling in the air. It drifted silently toward the door, waiting.
The moment the door creaked open, the mist surged forward, seeping through the crack. It enveloped the Fox-masked man instantly. His eyes widened in horror as the toxic cloud wrapped around him, and before he could react, he gasped for breath, the mist suffocating him with its corrosive grip.
Within seconds, his clothes began to bubble and tear apart as the acid-laced poison melted both fabric and flesh. He collapsed to the floor in a heap, his body writhing as the poison took its toll, eating through him like a ravenous fire. The room filled with the stench of burning flesh and the sickening hiss of dissolving skin.