This cellar was massive.
Far bigger than I had imagined.
It was as if an entire underground city existed beneath the slums.
The sheer scale of it… the resources, the labor, and most importantly—the funding—this wasn’t something built in secret by a handful of desperate people.
Someone powerful was backing this operation.
The room I had entered wasn’t much different from the previous ones—colossal walls with intricate carvings, dim torchlight flickering against their surfaces.
But this time, it was filled with cradles.
Hundreds of them.
Each cradle held a newborn baby.
And tending to them… were nannies—watching over the infants with eerie devotion.
The sight made my stomach twist.
This isn’t just an underground shelter.
This is a ritual.
I wanted to move closer, but I held back. Not yet.
Then—finally—they started speaking.
“This makes the 127th baby born this month. This should be enough for our plan… or do we need more?”
The voice belonged to a tall man with a toned physique. His left eye was missing, the empty socket hidden behind a vicious claw-shaped scar.
Another man responded—bald, shorter but far bulkier.
“Yeah, a hundred should be enough for the experiment. But having extras is never a bad thing.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Experiment?
A chill crawled up my spine.
They were experimenting on newborns.
I needed to know more.
I moved stealthily, inching closer, keeping my breathing controlled.
The scarred man stepped forward and lifted a baby above his head.
The crowd’s murmurs ceased instantly.
Then, he spoke.
“People! Once we succeed, we won’t have to live in this wretched place any longer!”
His voice was raw, filled with conviction.
“This child in my hands—and all the others present here—they will be the beacon of our survival.”
A collective hush fell over the gathering.
The way they stared at the baby, with yearning eyes, sent a deep unease through me.
They weren’t just treating these children as infants.
They saw them as saviors.
But how?
Even with cosmic energy, babies couldn''t just be forced to grow into warriors overnight.
So what exactly were they planning?
The scarred man’s grip tightened around the baby as he continued.
“I know what some of you might be thinking—that this is cruel, that it is inhumane to place such burdens on newborns. But we have no choice.”
He took a slow breath, his gaze darkening.
“We cannot survive here. No one can, except those cowardly Astras, holed up in their upper-level homes, oblivious to our suffering.”
The crowd murmured in agreement, some clenching their fists, others nodding solemnly.
He continued, his voice rising with passion.
“So, even if this is cruel… even if it is unnatural… we must do this. For our survival. For our children’s survival.
For a future where we—the true battle-hardened warriors—will reclaim our planet.”
I nearly scoffed out loud.
Battle-hardened warriors?
These people had never even faced a creature above mortal rank.
I could wipe out an entire sector of them alone, and yet—they spoke as if they were soldiers.
This isn’t just an experiment.
This is a rebellion.
The level of brainwashing here was staggering.
I wondered if Larrisa and Acreid knew about this. Maybe that was why they sent us here in the first place.
Maybe I should regroup with the boys.
Having Kaltain and Azrael would make finding out the truth much easier.
But… I had just fought with them.
My pride wouldn''t let me go back.
Still… I knew the real reason.
I was scared.
I didn’t want to admit it, but I was.
Not of fighting.
Not of killing—I had already killed in my previous timeline.
Not even of bloodshed—I had walked through enough gore today alone to know I could handle it.
But something deep within me made me hesitate.
An inherent trait I could never change.
A weakness that had haunted me even in my past life.
Before I could dwell on it further, the scarred man’s speech snapped me back to reality.
“My fellow brethren! Follow me through this door, with the babies in hand.
Together, we shall forge warriors—true warriors—who will fight for our future.”
The crowd erupted in murmurs of agreement.
One by one, they picked up babies from the cradles.
And then, in perfect unison, they began marching toward a massive door at the far end of the hall.
I inhaled deeply.
I had to see what lay beyond.
I had to know what they were planning.
Using Junia’s tech, I discreetly altered my clothing, mirroring theirs.
I pulled a mask over my face, ensuring my identity was concealed.
Then, I picked up a nearby baby and joined the procession.
As we passed through the door, I was met with yet another massive chamber.
But this one was different.
It was filled with dozens of doors, each leading somewhere unknown.
My grip on the baby tightened.
“How did they even build something this massive?”
No way a project of this scale had gone unnoticed.
They weren’t just hiding.
Someone was allowing them to exist.
And whoever it was, they had big plans.
As I marched forward with the group, a strange robed figure stepped out from the shadows.
His face was hidden beneath a hood, but his piercing gaze locked onto me.
For a tense moment, he studied me.
Then, in a low voice, he simply gestured to a door.
I exhaled slowly.
And stepped inside.