In the highest room of the tallest tower, evening cast its dim light upon a somber scene. A group of four individuals sat around a conference table. At the head of the table, occupying the central chair, sat a very old man known as Chikara. He was a huge, portly figure, bald with a round face, and he wore a black suit that strained against his girth. His eyes were hidden behind dark glasses, giving him an enigmatic air, as if sightless.

Across from him, three men dressed in suits exchanged tense glances. The faces of two of them, the older ones, were etched with worry and uncertainty, while the third, a younger man, exuded a misplaced confidence. His chiseled jawline and disciplined posture spoke of his military background. A distinctive scar ran over his eyes, a remnant of a past altercation.

Beside Chikara stood a young woman, appearing to be about 20 years old, her presence striking amidst the solemn assembly. She wore a yellow jacket over a simple top, paired with shorts, adding a splash of color to the otherwise muted room. Half of her face was concealed by a half mask, veiling a burn mark that hinted at a painful past. Despite her relatively young age, there was a maturity in her demeanor that belied her years. She stood tall, resembling a bodyguard poised for action, her gaze steady despite the turmoil surrounding them.

Breaking the silence, Chikara's voice cut through the air like a knife. "We need more people," he declared, his tone betraying a sense of urgency. The older men exchanged uneasy looks, a silent acknowledgment of the gravity of the situation. One of them spoke up, his voice tinged with apprehension. "We've already sent you all the death convicts from our country's prisons, all 167 of them."

With calmness in his voice, Chikara responded, "It took several attempts to perfect the program, and now we are very close." The young man countered, "At the cost of hundreds of lives." The two older men attempted to restrain the younger one, interjecting, "We knew the risks. That's why we provided the death convicts." Looking towards Chikara, with submission evident in his eyes, the man said, "Sir, this is an official government program; we cannot secure approval for more participants considering the risks involved."

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The young man rose from his seat in frustration. "It's futile. We're wasting our time here. The old man has lost his mind." Chikara glanced toward the two older men, a subtle hint of menace in his gaze. Suddenly, behind the oblivious young man, sinuous tentacles began to slither. The young man retorted, "What do you mean? Are you trying to threaten a government official?" In an instant, the tentacles coiled around his neck, smashing him against the wall.

The man reached for his pocketed gun, and fired at Chikara, who remained unflinched. The young woman beside him swiftly intercepted the bullets with another tentacle, their scales demonstrating remarkable resilience. It dawned on the man that the very tentacles that pinned him to the wall and shielded Chikara had originated from the woman standing beside them.

"What is this creature?" the man gasped, struggling to breathe.

Chikara, with a hint of a smile, responded, "The super soldier that we are building."

Chikara's chair scraped back as he rose, casting a formidable silhouette against the window. Circumnavigating the table, he spoke with a low rumble, "Within every person lies a demon, a culmination of every nightmare, fear, and darkness they've ever known—condensed into a single, writhing entity. The Experiment aims to induce a trauma so profound, so agonizing, so relentless, that it awakens the worst of the demons inside you."

Pride laced his words as Chikara pressed on, "My research seeks to unleash these demons and fuse them with their hosts' physical forms. Imagine an army not of humans, but of invincible demons, at your command. No pain, no fear—just unbridled, eternal power."

Leaning on one of the men at the table, Chikara continued, "If you can't provide us with the people, we will find our own. I just don't want government rats sniffing around us," warning the other two men, Chikara continued to walk.

Reaching the man still pinned against the wall and struggling, Chikara spoke, "Let's see what kind of demon resides in your nightmares," as he removed his dark glasses, revealing a blinking chip embedded within the frame, indicating that they were no ordinary spectacles but sophisticated smart glasses. With a remorseless look, Chikara forced the glasses onto the pinned man's face. A pin from the glasses pushed into his skull, as if trying to pull in information from his head.

As the smart glasses powered on, a video, built from memories of the man began to play within the lenses. "No, no, no!" he screamed violently, his voice reverberating within the confines of the soundproofed room, while outside the window, thousands of feet above ground, the chaos remained unheard. The city below was unaware of the danger about to befall them.