Seth spots a hungry imp trying to devour him. He steps back to dodge it as the little devil flies relentlessly. Strangely, the imp has no wings. How it was sustaining in the air might only be revealed by the imp itself—though it didn't seem like it could speak.
Seth tried to use his relics, but he found himself trapped in a monstrous body, burning with chaotic energy. The more the energy consumed him, the more of his consciousness he regained.
"Ughh, GET AWAY!!!!" Seth shouted, trying to kick the imp away. But it gracefully dodged, still pursuing its meal. To the little devil, Seth might have looked like a perfectly tender gourmet feast.
The imp's teeth sank into the carapace of the knight demon as Seth grimaced in pain. The teeth moved effortlessly toward the flesh, meeting no resistance from the armor. Blood poured out as Seth struggled to pull the little imp away, but the strength with which the tiny devil clung to him was overwhelming.
The pool of blood was steadily growing, and Seth felt the dizziness from the blood loss. The imp still clung to his shoulder, its teeth deeply embedded.
The chaos core forming and glowing within his chest, along with the void crater being filled, was already causing unbearable pain. But the addition of the imp's razor-sharp teeth burrowing deeper, attempting to cleave him in half, brought a level of agony beyond anything a mortal could endure.
Somehow, Seth remained conscious. He could still escape this pandemonium; he just needed a chance, and that chance came. The little imp grew impatient and tried to open its mouth wider to grasp more. That was enough—Seth shoved his hand into the imp's mouth and thrashed it, even as it clung desperately to his hand.
Seth leapt and slammed his hand against the concrete below; it wasn't ordinary concrete either, but designed to contain a special grade of sundered. Yet the little imp clung on, drawing more blood from his hand. Seth tried to grab the imp, but his hands were bound with spiked knuckles.
The knuckles began transforming into gloves with razor-sharp spikes on the palms. He seized the imp, tearing its spine apart in the process.
As the gloves seized the imp, the spikes pierced his skin and began distorting the very fabric of space around them. Gradually losing control of his own body, the imp went limp.
At last, the imp was hurled away, landing meters away with his spine already protruding from his back.
Seth, now in the midst of his transformation back to human, was convulsing in pain. He cried and screamed as his bones bent back to their original positions, the wings on his back tearing into his flesh as they retracted into his body, only to heal simultaneously. Steam emerged as his body slowly turned human again.
Diminishing in size, he was shrinking smaller than the abomination form he once was.
...............
Jaden directed two maintenance bay workers toward the gate that separated Site 0 from the rest of the complex.
"Open it."
The two maintenance bay members, still shocked and confused by their sudden arrival at the Site 0 gate, exchanged uncertain glances. One of them looked at Jaden briefly before quickly turning away.
One of them whispered to the other, "What do we do?"
The other, fear evident on his face, replied, "Do you want to refuse?"
There was no response, just silence.
Although control of Site 0 had initially been entrusted to the Captain, it was now revoked as Emily had switched it to manual lockdown. This was done to prevent the escape of other room containments in case the Captain failed.
But now, that was coming back to bite them. If Jaden wanted, he could not only help the escapees from Room 0 but also those from other rooms in Site 0. However, whether he would do that or not, only he knows.
"Be quick."
The two maintenance crew members nodded their heads, "Yes sir."
They both pulled tools from their bags and began their technical work. Soon, the gate would open, and the world's scariest nightmare would be unleashed.
...........
Deep in the corridor of Site 0, a pale boy with white hair walked silently, trailed by a darkness that seemed to be the abyss itself. Three figures followed closely behind; they appeared human, yet there was something deeply sinister lurking within them.
Soon, their walk came to a stop as they stood before a massive gate. The four of them remained there, waiting in silence.
The gate was a slab of reinforced alloy, ten feet thick, etched with warning stencils in bold military lettering. It didn't rust. It didn't creak. It wasn't allowed to. Maintenance teams checked it twice a day, and any irregularity—down to the temperature of the hydraulic pistons—was logged and corrected within the hour.
Twin rows of electromagnet locks ran along its perimeter, flush with the steel like veins under skin. Thick pressure clamps sealed the frame airtight, each one rigged with sensors and fail-safes. The surface gleamed with a dull gunmetal sheen under the corridor lights—clean, clinical, and without a single scratch.
This was not just a barrier—it was a statement:
Whatever is behind here will not leave. Ever.
Above the gate, red LED panels displayed its operational status in real time. All systems green. The automated voice—neutral and emotionless—could be heard reciting its standby routine at intervals. A soft hum of power ran through the walls like a heartbeat.
But now they were glowing in red, displaying the opening of the door.
Slowly, with a mechanical hiss, the door opened, its side disappearing into the walls. On the other side stood four lone figures, waiting and watching the two maintenance corps members and a lieutenant.
A sweet voice rang out, but the sweetness felt hollow, as if the words had been stripped of emotion, leaving only the facade of perfectly chosen phrases.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Prolev."
Jaden bowed to one of the escapees, a pale-skinned individual with white hair and the outward appearance of a child no older than twelve.