Cadet 17’s gaze lingered on the vest, its ancient and mysterious design captivating him. The runes etched into its surface pulsed softly, as if responding to some unseen force. The tugging sensation in his stomach, which had been faint when he first entered the lab, now intensified, pulling him toward the vest as though it were calling to him.

With deliberate caution, he reached out and lifted the vest from its pedestal. The material felt unnaturally cold against his skin, sending a shiver down his spine. As he draped it over his shoulders, the vest seemed to come alive, shifting its weight as it settled into place. The sensation was strange, almost as if the vest were molding itself to his body. A sudden increase in the pressure within his core made him stumble slightly, his balance momentarily thrown off.

In that moment of unsteadiness, his hand brushed against the console beside him. The pulsing button that had drawn his attention earlier flared brightly as his fingers made contact, and the console whirred to life with a low, ominous hum. Cadet 17 steadied himself, his eyes narrowing as he turned his attention to the array of screens that flickered to life before him.

The console displayed a series of logs, the text scrolling rapidly across the screens. At first, the information seemed mundane—basic diagnostic readouts and maintenance records—but as 17 continued to scan the data, a new folder appeared on the display, marked with several layers of security clearance. His fingers moved deftly across the controls, attempting to access the files, but most of the documents were heavily redacted, their contents locked behind restricted access codes far beyond his clearance.

Frustration gnawed at him, but he continued his search until he found one folder that wasn’t fully locked. His eyes moved quickly as he opened it, and what he found inside sent a cold chill through his veins.

The folder contained a series of experimentation logs, each detailing the grim fate of those who had tested the vest before him. According to the records, the vest had a terrifying effect on its wearers. The moment the vest made contact, it unleashed a torrent of shadow essence that invaded the subjects’ bodies, entering through their mana channels. The essence would grow rapidly, devouring the channels from the inside out, and then consuming the subjects entirely.

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The logs described in excruciating detail how the testers’ eyes would flood with darkness, the shadows within them multiplying at a terrifying rate. Their screams, twisted and distorted, became multi-voiced shrieks of agony as the shadows overwhelmed them. The final moments of each subject were marked by a horrifying disintegration, their bodies collapsing into nothing as the shadows consumed them whole.

Cadet 17’s fingers tightened on the console as he read the final entry. His mind raced, trying to process the implications of what he had just uncovered. The vest, which now rested heavily on his shoulders, was not just a piece of ancient armor—it was a conduit for something far more dangerous and malevolent.

Before he could react, the vest began to thrum with energy, the black gem embedded in its center pulsing with a dark light that seemed to absorb everything around it. The pressure in 17’s core surged, and he felt a wave of power flood through his body, overwhelming and all-consuming. Shadows, dark and cold, raced through his veins, merging with his very being. The pain was excruciating, but it was more than just physical—it was as though the shadows were reaching deep into his soul, altering something fundamental within him.

The world around him began to blur as the shadows took hold, and for a moment, 17 felt his identity slipping away, the boundary between himself and the shadows growing increasingly thin. He was no longer just Cadet 17—he was something else, something darker and far more dangerous.

The console fell silent, the screens flickering off as quickly as they had come to life. The lab, once filled with the hum of machinery and the silent crackle of elemental energy, was now eerily quiet. Cadet 17 stood in the center of the room, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps as he grappled with the terrifying power that now coursed through him. The vest, still firmly locked in place, felt like a part of him—a part that he could not remove, even if he wanted to.

He was no longer alone in his own body. The shadows, once external, were now an inseparable part of him, whispering at the edges of his consciousness, promising power and destruction in equal measure. The path before him was no longer certain, but one thing was clear—nothing would ever be the same again.