The humid air inside the cavern was thick with the ozone of high-end circuitry and the scent of ancient, damp stone. Under the harsh, clinical glow of portable LED arrays, several scientists moved like ghosts in their pristine white coats, their silhouettes stark against the dark, jagged walls.
Dr. Vance huddled over a high-resolution projection screen, watching data streams that flickered directly onto the uneven limestone surface. Beside him, another researcher gingerly handled a sample with gloved hands.
Their breath hitched as they looked at the mysterious prison: a faint, pulsing azure luminescence deep within the rock where a living human body floated.The body was bare, yet shrouded in a thick blue mist that caused the surroundings to glow with an otherworldly light.
They were not alone. Just beyond the circle of illumination, special forces agents stood as silent as the stalactites above. Encased in matte-black tactical gear, they monitored every twitch of the scientists' hands through the narrow slits of their visors. Their weapons were held at a low ready, their hyper-vigilance unmistakable.
Clank. Clank.
The rhythmic strike of heavy boots echoed through the chamber as three figures arrived at the facility. They wore black coats similar to the guards but reinforced with extra armor. Leading them were the Commander and Vice Commander of the company. With them stood a lady in her late twenties, dressed in a regal purple suit; an eight-leaf icon was engraved clearly on her chest.
Dr. Vance noticed them first. As he moved toward them, a flash of shock and surprise crossed his eyes the moment he spotted the eight-leaf badge.
Major Gideon Roke spoke first. "Hello, Dr. Vance. I trust you are doing well with your profound new research." He paused, his gaze shifting to the floating body. "Kindly share what you have uncovered."
"Commander," Dr. Vance replied, "the research is still ongoing, but we have uncovered several facts from the subject's biodata. By searching through the archives, we've also found information regarding the barrier—or rather, the prison—itself."
The lady tucked a small, knowing smile into the corner of her mouth. "Oh, that is good. Dr. Riozen will reward you for your efforts," she said, her tone carrying a hint of a tease.
Dr. Aris ignored the playfulness, maintaining as polite a tone as he could muster. "Yes, my lady."
"Oh, how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself," she said smoothly. "You may call me Ms. J. I believe you can already guess my affiliation."
From beside her, the Vice Commander, Master Sergeant Sloane Merrick, cut in. "Start your report. Now." Everyone nodded, and the room fell into a focused silence.
"To begin," Aris said, gesturing to the monitor, "the biological data confirms the subject's age is between eighteen and twenty. We cannot be entirely certain yet, but he is likely a native."
"A native?" Roke interrupted. "Are you sure about that? And what exactly is he trapped within?"
"We've done the research," Aris explained. "This is a prison—one of the five great cells built by a Hero-level powerhouse specifically to capture otherworlders."
"Wait." Merrick stepped forward, brow furrowing. "If you say this is a foreigner-capturing trap, then why is a native inside of it?"
"That is the anomaly," Aris admitted, tapping the flickering screen to pull up a tightly wound helix.
"Our DNA-matching technology is limited in the field. Currently, we can only detect if native 'Zenes' flow through a subject. We lack the database here to isolate complex foreign sequences; we would need a proper lab facility for that. However, as you know, foreign and native biologies are fundamentally incompatible. They cannot coexist in a simple fifty-fifty split." Vance zoomed in on a specific chromosomal cluster on the limestone wall.
"Look closer at his cellular expression. If he were a true hybrid, his body would be a warzone of conflicting genetic traits. Instead, we are looking at total epigenetic dominance. The native Zenes have entirely hijacked his system. They have literally wrapped around any potential foreign strands, sealing them away in microscopic vaults and rendering them completely dormant."
The doctor looked back at the floating body, his eyes filled with professional awe.
"It is a biological defense mechanism—planetary mimicry. To survive this world, and perhaps to survive this very prison, his body chose a side. It completely suppressed his other half. When I ran the match against the native DNA markers, it wasn't just a partial crossover. It was a perfect, flawless hit. To our sensors, and to this ancient cell, he registers entirely as a native."
''And probably for that reason the prison hasn't killed him yet.'', Miss J said in a mysterious tone. ''Interesting thing.''
They looked at her. They wanted to ask her more if she knew, but they choose to remain silent.
''As you can see, this is a scientific anomaly, so I suggest we can the body to Riozen and conduct more thorough research, perhaps we can unraval more secrets about foreingers with it.''
''Well said. First we need to report it to.....'', Marrick was about to say something yet J has cut cut off him from middle of his sentence.
''No need, you will follow my orders about this.''