[Living Land, 34 years after the Revolution]

“He’s so scary!”

“I know, I know!”

“Look at his eyes!”

“Don’t! If you look too closely, you could get sucked in and lose your mind and die!”

“Lance, you’re always the one with weird theories. How could that even be possible?”

“No, it might be possible. So many impossibilities have already happened. Who’s to say another one won’t do the same?”

“I’m telling the truth! One of my cousins knew his mother before she died and told me all about it!”

“Okay, Lance.”

“We believe you, Lance.”

“You guys—!”

“Enough! Take off the sack and strap him into place. Jenny, set up the equipment. Lance... Lance! Shut up and get over here!”

A few people in white coats scrambled into motion, quickly obeying their superior’s orders. Soon, a young boy of about three was laid on the table and strapped to many tubes, wires, and beeping equipment. A man who stood a head taller than any of the others and whose bulging muscles were visible through his lab coat held up a syringe filled with a translucent blue liquid.

“The symptoms of his abnormality are similar to those of specimens 972, 1005, and 2991 of this research center. The other centers combined have 873 specimens with similar attributes.”

“My God. Were they all genocidal at such a young age?” His assistant, a young blond lady, gasped.

“Most simply had an accelerated learning pace while others could learn some aspects of other abnormals’ abilities. For example, they could increase their eyesight by observing an abnormal with great eyesight. It was special, but like other copy abilities, it was limited and not worth mentioning.”

“Then how... ?”

“His case is different.” The tall man flicked the syringe a couple of times before injecting the blue liquid into the unconscious boy’s neck. The boy’s eyelids twitched as his expression grew paler. “I have never seen such monstrous learning abilities. It's as if he extracts power directly and claims it as his own. It’s on a whole different level. And that’s why we must keep him unconscious throughout his stay in our center.”

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“What happens if he wakes up?”

“Maybe nothing. Maybe he goes crazy. Who knows? But that’s why I, an abnormal with a C-Rank danger rating, oversee the research this time. Honestly, I would prefer to kill him off once and for all, but the higher-ups say he could be the clue we’ve been searching for all this while. The key to creating abnormals.”

Silence reigned in the operating room for a moment.

“Get the others.” The overseer prepared his instruments. “Let’s start the operation.”

[Living Land, 35 years after the Revolution]

“What the fuck! He’s awake!”

“Didn’t you give him a full dose?!”

“I fucking did! I gave him a full dose, and I’m pretty fucking sure I accidentally added an extra milliliter or two!”

“Then what the fuck is going on?!”

“Calm down guys. He’s stable. Increase his dosage and put him to sleep.”

The researchers bustled about around the operating table. The boy of three was now four but was skinnier than before. His features had grown gaunt over the last year, and his collarbones were sunken. The critical difference was that his eyes were wide open, taking in the surroundings impassively.

Several drugs were consequently administered to him, but his eyes remained open. The researchers continued trying higher dosages of different drugs of varying strength, but the effects were mild, if there were any. The overseer barked at his assistants repeatedly, splattering spit on the boy’s face.

Then, just as they grew frenzied, the boy’s eyes gently closed, and he fell unconscious.

“Alert the Spire,” the overseer said when he caught his breath. “The drugs are losing their effect. We might have to end the research early.”

“Aaaaah - !”

“Don’t kill me - !”

“Fucking brat!”

Screams, cries, and bellows resounded through the research center on this fateful night. Blood coated the walls and flooded the hallways. Bodies littered the ground, most of them incomplete.

The overseer sat with his back to the wall, his white coat now red. One of his arms was gone. It could be seen lying farther away near his assistant, Jenny's head.

“Fuck.” The overseer looked up at the boy standing before him with hateful eyes. “I knew we should have killed you a long time ago. Hopefully, this will make the Spire understand how dangerous you are.” He coughed up jets of blood, adding to the pool on the ground.

“They should be here soon,” he said. “And when they arri-”

The overseer was cut short as blood suddenly poured from his mouth. He glanced down at the hand penetrating his chest, then died before he could wonder how it happened.

The boy retrieved his bloody hand from the overseer’s chest and threw bits of his crushed heart to the side.

“Interesting. You still dream of these events.” An ancient voice echoed.

The boy ignored the voice and left the research center.

Behind him, around him, the voice cackled. “This day, you devoured these mortals. The day will come when I will devour you in return and return to the plane of existence. That day is close—much closer than you’d like.”

The boy walked on as his surroundings faded into a painting-like scene, then turned to darkness. The laughter of the ancient voice faded as well, leaving a serene silence.

Finally, the boy spoke. “No. I will devour you.”