"Eat up." The man scooped out a large portion of soup from the steaming pot beside him, and tilted it, letting the warm, brown liquid ooze into Igil's bowl. Igil stared down at the soup and then stared back at the chef.

"What is this?"

"What does it look like, seafood? Drink up."

"..." Igil tilted his gaze downwards once again and found himself trying not to gag at the sight of the red worms drifting across the surface of the soup. "Can I just have the soup and not the worm?"

"What the fuck do you think this is, a buffet? Eat what I cook or nothing at all."

Igil felt his grip on the bowl tighten; if he was going to explore the world, he'd have to eat shit like this regardless of his personal feelings. Otherwise, he'd lose what little strength he had left. "...Sorry."

He lifted the bowl to his face and felt himself shudder. In the Wolvahamptan Laboratory despite the treatment he had endured, the food had never been lacking. He had been fed rich, luxurious foods to maintain his stamina, yet despite eating such grand food portions, he had never felt truly content.

But when he put the bowl of soup to his mouth as the thick broth gushed down his throat, he felt invigorated.

For the first time in his entire life, he was truly eating. The broth was nasty, the texture of the worm-ants was revolting, and it was the most terrible meal he had ever put into his body- yet he loved it!

"Can I have some more?" Igil couldn't help but grin at the chef. "It's delicious." The chef chuckled, and dipped the ladle back into the pot, slopping another helping of soup into the boy's bowl.

"Now we're talking. Eat up, you need to put some weight on, you look like a skeleton!" The chef handed the bowl back to Igil, who lifted it to his lips and downed it before the man could finish his sentence.

Wiping his mouth, the boy set the bowl back on the kitchen counter. "Have you seen two guys named Chiro and Bayani? They asked me to meet them here."

"You're with them? They're at the back of the kitchen helping themselves to some soup! Feel free to join up with them."

Igil nodded and walked past the man, heading further into the kitchen. Yesterday he had met up with the two of them to inform them he had accepted their offer, and their response was...unexpected. They wanted him to prove his worth and told him to meet them in the B-section of the Lab, the cafeteria.

Right beside the stove, where another pot of boiling soup was heating up , was a door. Pushing the door wide open, Igil walked in and found himself face-to-face with the two.

"Well, look who made it! I was starting to think you wouldn't be able to find your way here!" Bayani snickered.

"I'm glad to see you're serious about this. Sit down." Chiro said. "I know you're serious about this because the only way Gamsey would've let you in here is if you took a sip of his soup."

"Kinda surprised you haven't thrown up yet," Bayani observed.

"I don't understand, why is he serving us food? Isn't he a subject like everyone else here?" Igil asked.

"This place is completely neglected by the government because it hasn't produced any groundbreaking research, so it barely has a budget to work with," Chiro said.

"So, they can't afford chefs to come and cook meals for us?" Igil asked.

"They can, but Dr. Stain spends the budget on things he considers of...higher priority."

"Like what?"

"Assassination." Bayani chimed in. "A lot of wealthy people pay the scientists here to take the people they hate and turn them into test subjects at this lab. And then those people are purposely targeted, tortured, and experimented on until the day they die."

"And one of our allies here is a product of that. She was brought to this lab because people wanted her gone for...reasons. At this very moment, she's likely fighting for her life in the C-area of the lab. So, to prove your worth to us..."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Then you're going to lend her a helping hand." Bayani finished.

"Seriously, man, you need to quit finishing my sentences, its creepy," Chiro said. "But that's the gist of it."

"The C-area of the lab?" Igil remembered that area was the smallest in size yet the largest in terms of population. It would be ardous finding her amongst such a large group of people. "What does she look like?"

"Don't worry, she'll find you!" Bayani patted Igil's shoulder.

"Then why can't you both tag along?"

"We still need to receive our punishments for messing with those guards. If we keep running, they might sweep the lab to search for us, and that would be a pain in the ass. So, we'll need to take whatever beating those guards want to give us before taking any action." Bayani answered.

So it looks like I'll have to give this my all to prove I can be a reliable ally. Igil thought. "Got it. Then I'll get going right away."

"Be careful! You know, some people here take any chance they can get to kiss the ass of the guards here. And beating you up would be the perfect chance for them to do so, so watch out!"

"Right."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Igil ascended the stairs, he felt a feeling that was familiar yet unfamiliar to him encompass his soul. For the first time in his life, he felt like he had a purpose. He was finally acting, rather than allowing others to act on him, and he had a clear-cut goal. It felt weird to be so confident and calm, but...good at the same time.

As the boy's feet made contact with the flight of stairs, he could hear them creak and shift. The Belia Laboratory was an old building that was for sure. It was steadily decaying, evident by the spider-like cracks running through the walls, and the thick smell of rubber and dust.

He let out a sigh of relief as he finally made his way out of the flight of stairs, and onto the stable floor of the C-Area, the second-highest floor in the laboratory. It wasn't called the most populated area in the lab for nothing.

As he took his first step, he could feel hundreds of gazes turn on him, and he felt the hair on his skin raise on end.

Hey, is that?

The Zakean?

That guy who told that guard to kill himself.

I thought he was supposed to be tall.

And buff!

He looks like your run-of-the-mill kid...

He's probably just wearing a kid's skin.

For some reason, Igil's hearing had become a lot sharper lately. With absolute ease, he could hear all of the whispers and rumors being passed amongst the residents of the C-Area as the subjects began to circle and crowd around him. Rumors spread quickly...how do they even know I'm the Zakean though? Igil thought to himself.

"Can you guys move? I'm looking for somebody, but you're in the way." Igil asked politely, and nobody moved away. A group of six moved forward to face the boy. The man in front was old, with hardened eyes and a shaved head.

"Is your name Igil?" The man questioned, holding a cigarette to his mouth and lighting the end up as he awaited Igil's response.

How'd he gets his hands on cigarette in here? Igil thought. "Yes."

The man's eyes softened slightly, and he rested a hand on Igil's shoulder. "You're....very young." Before Igil could respond, the man's fist shot forward and drove itself into Igil's belly roughly, the force of the blow sending the boy flying into the air before he hit the ground hard.

"Someone hand me a knife. Let's make this quick so he doesn't have to feel anything." The old man turned to his small group, taking a knife from the youngest-looking member.

Igil looked up at the old man from the floor. Despite the blow, he...felt absolutely nothing. Pulling himself off the floor, he dusted off his dirty jumpsuit, feeling a grin creep across his face. "Not dead yet pal."

"Tch!" Igil suddenly felt a sharp pain across his forehead and held two fingers against his head as the crowd watched in awe, wondering who would make the next move, who would come out as the champion between the Zakean, and the man.

"Stop trying to act tough. Just stay down." The man yanked the boy's collar, and spun around, slamming the boy face-first into the hard pavement. "Just stay down, don't wanna make this any harder than it needs to be." He picked the boy up from the ground, pointing the blade at the boy's neck.

"That's some serious firepower you've got there," Igil softly replied, and extended his right hand gracefully, grasping the man's wrist gently. Or at least, it looked gentle. As he squeezed the man's wrist, the sound of bone cracking was audible, and the man let out a groan of pain, quickly letting go of the boy.

But Igil hadn't let go of the man.

Igil lifted his arm and with monstrous strength, lifted the man into the air with ease, and then flexed his wrist, sending the man crashing into the crowd of people gathered around them.

The crowd, now silent, watched as Igil stared at his hands. Intriguing. My output of strength is greater than before... Igil thought.

Walking towards the old man who collapsed on the floor, he bent down reaching for the man's knife..only for the man to roll to the left, spinning the knife swiftly in his hand as he shot towards Igil, thrusting the blade towards the boy's neck.

Why does everything feel so easy now? I feel stronger, faster, sharper...I feel like I've been fighting for my entire life. Igil swiftly ducked underneath the blade and knocked the knife out of the man's palm with a palm strike, seizing the knife out of the air by the handle.

As the old man retreated, hopping back a few steps, Igil easily closed the distance between them and crouched, jabbing the man several times in the stomach with his fist and then pulling his leg up, roundhouse kicking the man's skull.

Watching the man fall to the floor, Igil turned to the crowd surrounding him and spun the knife between his fingers, grinning.

"Who's next?"