The laboratory smelled of antiseptic and fear. Cold, metallic surfaces reflected harsh fluorescent light, giving the space a sterile, almost clinical terror. Tubes lined the walls, holding vials of hybrid blood, strange glowing chemicals, and labels bearing the names of subjects who had never survived their experiments. The Inquisition’s scientists moved with mechanical precision, cataloging, testing, and observing, indifferent to the pain they inflicted.Adrian sat restrained on a metallic table, his claws hidden beneath the cuffed hands, his golden aura faint beneath the power-dampening collar. The walls vibrated with the hum of machinery. He had been brought here not as a warrior, not even as a prisoner, but as a specimen. The Inquisition had orchestrated a “Mandatory Breeding” session, using the guise of genetic study to dissect hybrid traits—strength, speed, resilience, and most importantly, the secondary bond between Samuel and Adrian.And yet, amid the sterile horror, a single
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