The air inside the hidden laboratory was thick with the metallic scent of blood and chemicals, a stench of pure atrocity. After silently relocating to a concealed vantage point near the facility's back door, Kai and Chiron peered through a narrow c***k in the wall, their eyes adjusted to the dim, oil-lamp light.
The secondary chamber—the "next phase" mentioned in the notes—was a makeshift holding cell. Kai and Chiron observed human prisoners (12 total) in cages, their bodies emaciated, their eyes wide with numb terror. Most were men, but a few women were huddled in the corners. They were clearly not common criminals, but people broken by fear and circumstance.
In the main lab, the researchers were discussing injecting "beast essence" into humans. Their voices, though low, carried through
