The city of Phoros, well, calling it a city would be a misunderstanding. To be honest, it was more like a continent. Phoros was an artificial continent, born from the ambition to create a city-state that would be the epitome of human achievement. It is a sprawling, urbanized landscape, where the natural world is but a memory—covered by layers of concrete, steel, and neon. As one of the most advanced cities in the world, Phoros is a beacon of progress. That environment was exactly where Sync Laboratories was located, but it was also the place where the Alaric family lived. The Alaric Family is one of the most important families that humanity has. The matriarch Abigail Alaric was condecorated during the 1000 Days War. Right next to her was her husband, another decorated hero of that war, and the reason why many people wouldn’t even think of looking into the Alaric family. Gerald Alaric, and today, those two individuals were on their way to Sync Laboratories, and not only those two, but the whole Alaric family was going to be visiting Sync Laboratories that day.
Four cars parked in front of Sync Laboratories; they were black trucks with their tires completely covered in a special alloy, and the rims of the trucks were shining with neon lights that indicated whether the car was running, parked, or going backward. Out of the first trucks, a couple of people got out. They were wearing an all-black suit, along with black sunglasses. Afterward, one by one, other people started to get out of the vehicles.
The first one was an imposing figure, exuding an air of authority and mystery. His light skin, though weathered by time, retained a vitality that defies his age. His thick auburn hair is streaked with silver, long and meticulously maintained, giving him a regal appearance. A full beard frames his sharp jawline, and his piercing blue eyes seem to dissect everyone they land on. It was Gerald Alaric; Gerald is always dressed in an impeccably tailored three-piece suit, complemented by a heavy overcoat. There was another thing that could never miss with him, his mysterious wooden cane, rumored to have hidden mechanisms or significance, and thus is never far from his grasp.
After him, Abigail Alaric got out of the same vehicle. A woman of undeniable presence and elegance. Her signature light blonde hair, almost white, cascaded freely down her back, creating a striking contrast to her piercing gray-blue eyes. Despite her storied military career, she favors relaxed yet sophisticated attire, often adorned with delicate ornaments such as jeweled pins, bracelets, or subtle embroidery that hint at her Alaric lineage. Her posture is straight, her movements deliberate, and her gaze unwavering, reflecting both her disciplined past and her commanding aura. If anyone saw her right now, they couldn’t think by a far mile what her nickname was and why she had gained such a nickname. That day she was simply wearing a white dress; she adorned that white dress with several pieces of sapphire jewelry, and she had a bright smile that perfectly complemented her look.
“Oh well.” Abigail exclaimed after getting out of the car, “Why couldn’t we have taken an aircraft or something, hunny?” She asked, looking directly at Gerald.
Gerald, who usually wore a heavy expression, softened his face a bit; with a soft smile, he grabbed Abigail’s face and pulled her towards him, the both of them passionately kissing. For a second or two, nothing else existed for either of them.
“Ugh, gross.” A female voice exclaimed, pulling both Gerald and Abigail out of their focus on one another.
“Celine, we are married; this is normal behavior,” Gerald told his daughter, Celine Alaric. Celine shares her mother Abigail’s light blonde hair, which cascades freely down her back in soft waves, lending her a youthful yet commanding aura. Her light skin contrasts beautifully with her striking, elaborate attire that blends futuristic and magical elements.
Her outfit is both an expression of her power and a tribute to her family’s legacy. She wears a large, purple star-shaped hat, its glowing accents giving it an almost mystical presence. The hat symbolizes her status, combining elegance and dominance. Her cape, woven from iridescent geometric patterns, shifts in color as she moves, creating an ever-changing, kaleidoscopic effect that draws attention. The cape flows into a layered skirt adorned with delicate floral motifs, adding a whimsical, ethereal touch to her otherwise fierce appearance.
“You are my parents; it doesn’t matter how old I am; seeing you two doing anything remotely close to that is gross.” Celine had a frown on her face, and her fingers were tapping on her arms.
“Aunt Celine, what’s going on?” A young boy asked with the sweetest voice. Jacob Alaric, the child prodigy of the family, as he was described by almost everyone who met him.
“Oh, don’t worry about it, little one,” Celine answered while picking up the young boy. “Grandpa and Grandma were doing some stuff that people their age shouldn’t do.” She added while staring daggers at her parents.
“Well, Abigail and Gerald do look better than most people would at their age.” Another female voice chimed in.
“Clara,” Abigail said, “I’m not even sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.”
“It’s a compliment, Abigail,” Clara said. The newcomer was none other than Clara Alaric. She was just like Gerald in the sense that she married into the Alaric family; she was not born into the family, which had made her relationship a bit with the rest of the family since she was always away at work, and her husband was the same, never having much time outside of their work. Clara is a striking woman with light skin that highlights the sharp contrast of her short black hair, which is sleek and often styled with a quiet elegance. Her attire speaks volumes about what she had learned in the work, the desire to remain both unseen and yet impossible to ignore. She often donned a large black hat that concealed most of her features, adding an air of mystery to her. Her pink-tinted sunglasses, though somewhat unconventional, give her a sense of detachment from the world around her.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Clara’s outfits were always elaborate, designed to draw attention without shouting. She wears a feathered jacket in rich shades of blue, purple, and green, embellished with crystal-like accents that shimmer in the light. Her white top and gold-chained pants add a touch of refinement, while her circular pendant necklace was a symbol of her life before marrying.
That’s when the last member of the Alaric family showed up. Arthur Alaric, Celine’s older brother and Clara’s husband, was quite the stern man, pragmatic in a way not many could. Arthur was a robust man with a commanding presence, his solid build exuding a quiet strength. His long, auburn hair and matching beard and mustache that were inherited from his father are meticulously groomed, giving him the air of a sage or scholar lost in his pursuits. His light blue skin, a distinctive feature, is believed to be the result of his research; he, a scholar at heart, worked uncovering different ancient ruins and mysteries of the world, so the color of his skin was something he considered a mark of his relentless obsession with knowledge. Arthur was dressed in a similar way to his father, leaving the coat and cane out.
“Should we go in?” Arthur asked with an indifferent voice.
“Sure,” Gerald answered. “Let’s go.”
Clara rushed to grab Jacob’s hand; she couldn’t allow her son to roam free in such an environment. With Gerald leading the family, they entered the building that was Sync Laboratories, At the entrance, Lorraine was already waiting for them.
“Welcome to Sync Laboratories.” She said with a big smile on her face. “Everything is ready; please follow me.”
The Ashvin project had been something that Gerald in person had requested. Arthur and Clara wanted to have more children, but due to their time constraints, they couldn’t; more specifically, Clara couldn’t take the time off work to carry a child to term. Thus, Gerald had come up with a solution: his old friend Hyde Sync was having problems maintaining his lab and continuing with his experiments, and Hyde was probably the person who knew the most about everything about the human body. Thus Gerald had made an offer to Hyde: if Hyde managed to create and take to term two human children in a lab, Gerald would offer his full support to Hyde.
It had taken some time for Hyde to make a decision, but in the end, he decided to go with it; he didn’t see much of an option, and today was the day when the results of the Ashvin Project were about to be shown to the Alaric family.
When they arrived at the room of the Ashvin Project, they saw the two capsules that contained the result of the Ashvin Project; by all accounts, they were twins, one female, and one male.
“So,” Hyde suddenly entered the room. “What do you guys think?”
Clara approached the capsules, seeing the perfect little bodies of the babies inside. She had reservations about this procedure, but she had to acknowledge that the babies were stunning and she was eager to embrace them.
“They are fine.” Arthur suddenly said.
Gerald gave a simple look at his son before turning away and looking over at Hyde.
“Hyde, would you mind explaining the basics of what you did?” Gerald said.
“Sure, the first step was collecting the raw material, which was so graciously provided by Clara and Arthur,” Hyde started to explain.
A low “Tsk” escaped Arthur’s lips, but Gerald shut his son up with a quick look.
“Afterwards, we did a complete mapping of the genes provided on both samples.” Hyde continued while a holographic screen appeared. “Fortunately, both samples had great quality genes to work with, and then, after isolating the genes, we began working on putting together the DNA, making sure the RNA could follow the information on the DNA perfectly. That was the longest part of the process, and thanks to my daughter Lorraine, it was done without a problem. Then we, well, we made the babies, one male and one female, as per Gerald's request. They have the perfect bodies and minds; we didn’t tamper too much with their appearance to not take away from their human status,” Hyde finished saying with gleaming eyes.
“Sounds like a lot of work,” Abigail said while looking at the babies. Abigail grabbed Lorraine's hands and looked directly into her eyes. “Thank you so much for everything.”
Lorraine was a bit nervous about the situation, but she quickly reacted and took her hands off Abigail.
“I’ll proceed to take the babies out of the capsules,” Lorraine said. She approached each capsule, and with the utmost care, she started to open the skin-like cover of the capsules. Then she took the babies out, with the little girl first. Lorraine kept a straight face, but she couldn’t quite explain the feeling nor what was going through her mind at the moment. She then walked over to Clara to hand her the baby, but Arthur took the baby girl out of her hands before she could.
Lorraine didn’t think much about it, but she had to admit to herself that Arthur was not making a good impression on her. She then did the same procedure with the baby boy; this time, she was able to hand the baby to Clara, who embraced it with a warm smile.
“And what would you guys call them?” Lorraine asked.
Arthur looked at the girl. “Aura,” he said.
“You know,” Clara said. “I think he has the face of a Sebastian.”.
Clara was smiling while holding her son in her arms. Arthur moved and looked like he wanted to object.
“Wonderful name,” Gerald said. And the fact that his father had embraced the name was enough to stop Arthur from doing anything.
“Hyde,” Gerald said. “Let’s go finish the details of our collaboration from now on.”
The project had been a success, and, with Gerald and the Alaric's help, Sync Laboratories will be just fine in the future.