Felicia stood among them, her body like a steel pillar in the white storm. Her black hair fell wildly around her shoulders, her eyes glowing red like embers buried in snow. She said nothing—only stared at the two-story building in the distance, a grim silhouette resembling a fortress of sin. Her entire body was poised, as if she already knew that whatever awaited them there… would not be kind.
Among them all, Kaivan moved the slowest. His feet sank into the snow without strength, and his eyes caught Isabel's figure ahead of him. The world seemed to crumble, little by little.
stroked the little girl's head. "It's nothing… I'm just still confused," he murmured softly, his voice cracking from cold and turmoil. For a brief moment, his gaze flicked toward Isabel before dropping again.
Livia nodded without pressing further. She stayed beside Kaivan, becoming the only warmth in a world locked in ice. In this emptiness, her small hand made Kaivan feel that he still had a reason to endure.
They walked together through the deep snow, leaving footprints that the wind slowly erased. Each step deepened wounds that had yet to heal, carving the line between them and the life they once knew. Their footsteps blended into a sorrowful harmony—a requiem understood only by broken souls.
The building ahead grew clearer: two floors of cold concrete with wide glass walls, revealing an unfamiliar world of technology inside. Faint blue and red lights flickered beyond the glass, like the breathing of an artificial being watching from within. The air smelled of electricity and metal.
Snow fell gently, like ash drifting from a gray sky that wrapped the world in silence. The wind groaned through gaps in steel, sweeping thin mist across the frozen ground. In that sacred stillness, their steps struck the snow with a heavy, careful rhythm.
Levan walked at the front, his body wrapped in a pitch-black coat that fluttered softly in the wind. His silhouette resembled a shadow long accustomed to darkness, slicing through the white fog with the calm of a seasoned veteran. Snow clung to his hair and shoulders, but he did not brush it away. Every step carved traces of his past into the innocent white expanse.
He stopped before a building half-buried in ice. A large, rusted metal door stood silent and cold. The steel walls around it gaped like old wounds. Levan turned to face them one by one—eyes weary from witnessing too much darkness, yet still harboring a faint ember of conviction.
His black leather-gloved hand lifted slowly, touching the metal sensor beside the door. A mechanical hiss split the silence, and the door opened little by little—cold, like the final breath of a structure long considered dead.
"Welcome to—"
Levan's voice faltered. He froze, staring into the dark corridor beyond the doorway. His face stiffened, as if the past had struck him through the fog. His lips moved, but no sound emerged.
Then, from behind him, a soft voice broke the stillness, like a spirit awakened from a long slumber.
"Sasts'avlo Laborat'oria," whispered a researcher near Levan, quietly naming the place.
Levan turned slowly. A hollow smile formed on his face—not joy, but resignation.
"That's right," he said softly, almost like a confession. "This is our training laboratory."
Kaivan, standing behind Levan, stepped forward. His voice broke, like a stone loosening from a riverbed.
"Wait…" he said anxiously, staring straight at Levan. "Where is my sister? Where is she now?"
Levan's eyes shifted—caught between compassion and regret. He didn't answer. He only gave a small nod, then turned and walked inside. The others followed in silence.
The corridors within were quiet, lit by cold LED lights reflecting off bluish-white metal walls. The floor gleamed like ice, every footstep echoing like a pulse of grief. Cables hung from the ceiling, resembling veins of a dead creature that had once lived.
At last, they stopped before a room with transparent glass walls. Beyond the glass, a woman's body lay motionless on a medical bed. Tubes and wires ran across her form, monitors displaying brain waves that were nearly flat.
Kaivan froze. His eyes widened, pupils trembling. He touched the glass, his fingertips leaving mist on its surface. His breathing grew heavy.
"Your sister is safe here," Levan said quietly. "But she hasn't awakened. Your sister… is still in a coma."
Kaivan's world collapsed. Relief and suffocation crashed together in his chest. He closed his eyes, struggling to contain the surge threatening to spill over.
Radit stepped forward, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets, looking at Levan with sharp curiosity.
"So… what do we do now?" he asked flatly, though emotion lingered beneath his tone.
Levan took a long breath before answering, his voice now heavy with honesty.
"We are researching the Tome of Omnicent here. And you—are part of that experiment."
Silence engulfed the room. No one moved.
Levan continued, firm yet bitter. "You were brought here because Kaivan is your leader. We hope you can resonate with the owner of the Tome of Omnicent. If successful, you will be trained here for the next three years."
The words hung in the air, heavy and unavoidable.