Darkness weighed over the dungeon like a burial shroud, and even though the Void Creature had been gone for several minutes, the air still seemed saturated with its presence. A fetid stench, an essence of death and corruption, lingered heavily. Kenzo, curled up against the cold stone wall, shuddered. He couldn't tell whether it was fear or cold that froze his blood. No… it was something else. A primal instinct; the instinct of man facing a cosmic predator.
He hadn't had time to properly observe the thing, that nauseating entity seemingly made of shadow, flesh, and hatred. It had passed by slowly yet menacingly, dragging its twisted carcass like a living warning. Now it was gone, and yet… it was everywhere.
But one thing reassured him, strange as it might seem: his fellow prisoner had finally decided to speak. The old man, who until then had hidden in resigned silence, finally raised his voice.
Kenzo didn't waste a second.
– « What was that thing? »
The answer came in a broken tone, almost whispered, as if naming the horror could bring it back.
– « Our guard dog… an infected creature of unstable rank. »
The words echoed strangely in Kenzo's mind. Infected. Unstable. He didn't know the classifications of Void entities, nor the exact meaning of those terms, but just hearing them made his skin crawl.
The old man continued, as if driven by a need to entrust his last truths.
– « It passes every hour during the night, since the warden isn't here. »
Then, after a brief pause, he slightly turned his head toward Kenzo.
– « Tell me, kid… you came back from the laboratory. What did you see? »
Kenzo frowned. His clearest memory remained the moment he had woken up in that skeletal body, half-naked, shivering at the bottom of a damp cell.
– « I don't remember. »
The old man grimaced, clearly skeptical. But he didn't press further. Instead, he said with a mix of resignation and bitterness:
– « Well then… let me give you the bad news. They changed your Heart. »
The word struck Kenzo like a sledgehammer. Heart? He immediately brought a trembling hand to his chest, feeling his ribcage beneath stretched skin. There was no scar. No trace. Just… a strange warmth.
The old man let out a joyless chuckle.
– « No point checking for surgery marks. The Heart they implanted regenerates your body. »
He paused, his tone darkening.
– « But of course, there are side effects. »
Kenzo clenched his teeth. He had expected that. He had never been lucky in his life. A Heart that regenerates the body? Too good to be true. He waited for the rest, already bracing himself.
– « This Heart needs energy to function properly. And as you know, you're not a Chosen. So there's absolutely no way for you to fuel it. »
Silence fell for a moment; heavy, suffocating. Then the old man added:
– « That's the case for all prisoners here. So the Heart feeds on our life energy instead. That's why we're all skinny and half-dead. »
Kenzo frowned, then said:
– « And let me guess… if our life energy runs out? »
The old man slowly nodded.
– « Then you die. That's it. They don't do anything for us. We're just lab rats. Meant to find a way for non-Chosen to be as strong as them. »
Rats. The word tightened Kenzo's chest. Once again, he was nothing more than a pawn, a mistake to be manipulated and dissected. He stayed silent for a moment, then asked another question.
– « When you say "they"… who exactly are you talking about? »
The old man stared at him for a moment, as if judging whether he was worthy of the truth. Then he sighed.
– « Call me William. I'm only thirty-two. I'm talking about the Disciples of the Void. You really thought a Void Creature would keep us alive without orders? »
A chill ran through Kenzo. Disciples of the Void. Humans… working with those horrors? He knew humanity could be cruel, but he had naively believed they would stand united against such abominations.
But something else caught his attention.
– « Wait… you're thirty-two? »
He would have sworn William was at least ninety.
The old man burst into a hoarse laugh.
– « I told you there were side effects. Sure, you don't die right away… but your body ages at an insane rate. It's only been six months since they implanted this Heart in me. And believe me, they put me through a whole series of experiments. It's not pleasant… and that's not all. »
Suddenly, his laughter died out. His frail body began to tremble. Genuine fear danced in his eyes.
– « They won't let you die peacefully here after all these tests. When they no longer need you… the warden, who is a Transfigured, and the Void Creature will "set us free." For a hunt. A hunt… that never ends well for the prey. »
A Transfigured… Kenzo knew that word. It was the stage above the Awakened. Humanity's elite soldiers. Those on the front lines against the Void Creatures. If one was here, working for the Disciples of the Void, then the world was far more rotten than he had imagined.
And him? He wasn't even Awakened yet. He first had to survive his test. He gathered his courage and asked:
– « Have there ever been any survivors of that hunt? And… why are you still alive? »
William looked almost satisfied by the question.
– « Finally, you're asking the right ones. Well… if the results of your experiments are good, you live. If not, you're useless. And believe me, no one survives the hunt. Every prisoner who takes part comes back… decapitated. »
He closed his eyes, clearly haunted by the memories.
– « The warden loves showing us their heads. It's his little pleasure. As for me… I was useful. Until now. »
He turned his tired gaze toward Kenzo.
– « In eight days… I'll take part in the hunt. »
A shiver of horror ran down Kenzo's spine. Eight days. Eight miserable days before William would be offered up as prey. Before he himself might be next.
Once again, he was nothing but a tool. A variable in a cruel equation.
This test had chained him once more. He was a rat again. And being useless… was going to cost him his life.