"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
Valt's voice echoed through the enormous hallway.
"NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO BE ASKING QUESTIONS!" Theo shouted back.
The tiny blue creature was barely holding on to Theo's collar, desperately clinging to him as they continued running.
Behind them, the door was moving.
No... Not just the door.
It was being pulled farther and farther away from them.
Their eyes followed its movement for a brief moment before they realized just how much trouble they were in.
Valt's mind raced.
Think! Think! THINK!
If this continued for much longer, they would undoubtedly be caught by that... abomination.
And he wasn't particularly interested in finding out what would happen if it caught them.
Suddenly, a realization struck him.
Wait...
I have powers.
He glanced down at his palm.
His fingers slowly curled into a fist.
That's right... I actually have supernatural abilities!
Valt extended his hand in front of him, focusing all his attention on his palm.
"I don't know if this'll work... But I have to try!"
A tiny blue square suddenly dropped out of his hand.
Plink.
It landed on the floor.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Another square appeared.
And another.
The tiny pieces began rolling across the floor, multiplying rapidly. Small cubes, curved blocks, and countless geometric shapes emerged one after another.
They began assembling themselves.
Piece by piece.
The structure grew larger and larger until its familiar shape became apparent.
It was their car!
The very same car they had driven into the facility.
And somehow, it was driving alongside them!
"WOAHHH!"
Theo and Ace stared at the sight in disbelief.
But before either of them could process what had just happened, Valt grabbed Theo and leapt into the car.
Ace immediately followed.
"DRIVE! DRIVE! DRIVE!" Ace screamed.
Valt scrambled into the driver's seat.
"HOLD ON!"
He slammed his foot onto the accelerator.
VRRRRROOOOOOM!
The car shot forward.
Except...
It was much, MUCH faster than they had expected.
Their bodies were pushed back against their seats as the wind rushed through the vehicle. Their cheeks practically flapped backward from the sheer speed.
"WHAAAA—?!"
Behind them, the monster stopped.
Its enormous body trembled.
Then—
ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRR!!
An ear-splitting roar erupted from its throat.
The entire ceiling began shaking violently.
Dust and fragments of stone rained down from above.
"Woah! It's angry!" Theo exclaimed.
Theo and Ace, who were sitting in the back, turned around to look at the monster.
It was getting farther away.
For the first time since this whole nightmare began, they might actually have a chance.
But then—
"U-uh..."
Valt's voice interrupted their celebration.
"G-guys..."
His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead.
"LOOK FORWARD."
Both Theo and Ace slowly turned their heads.
Even the tiny blue creature peeked out from Theo's collar.
And what they saw...
Was something they hadn't expected.
The enormous hallway began to rotate.
Not gradually.
The entire structure twisted as though the world itself had suddenly lost its sense of direction.
Massive pillars began emerging from the ground, one after another.
Some stretched all the way to the ceiling, while others rotated along with the shifting hallway.
The path ahead was rapidly transforming into an enormous obstacle course.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!! WE'RE GONNA DIEEEEE!!"
Ace and Theo immediately grabbed each other, practically crying.
The tiny blue creature joined them, trembling and making distressed little noises.
Meanwhile, Valt gritted his teeth.
He swerved left.
Then right.
A massive pillar emerged directly in front of them.
He narrowly avoided it.
Another appeared.
Then another.
"GET OUT OF OUR WAYYYYY!!"
Valt desperately maneuvered the steering wheel, dodging one obstacle after another.
But the hallway seemed determined to stop them.
And then...
Something changed.
A gentle whisper echoed throughout the enormous corridor.
It was soft.
Almost soothing.
Like a mother gently singing her child to sleep.
Yet, for some reason, hearing it sent an indescribable chill through the group.
"Lost travelers..."
The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Come here..."
Huh?
Before anyone could react—
WHOOSH!
The car was suddenly dragged sideways.
It was as though an invisible hand had grabbed it and pulled it away.
"WHAAAAAAAT?!"
Their vehicle flew towards one of the enormous pillars.
There was no time to brake.
No time to turn.
Nothing they could do.
All four of them instinctively grabbed onto one another, squeezing their eyes shut.
This is it.
We're going to crash.
But...
The impact never came.
Instead—
A gentle blue light began shining from the pillar.
And just as the car reached it...
They phased through.
For a brief moment, everything turned blue.
Then...
Silence.
A Strange Place
"...Ugh..."
Theo slowly opened his eyes.
His head felt heavy.
His vision was blurry, and his ears were still ringing.
What... happened?
He tried to move, only to realize that he was lying on a completely unfamiliar floor.
A tiny blue creature floated in front of his face.
It gently nudged him.
"Eh...?"
Theo slowly sat up.
"Where... are we?"
He looked around.
Valt and Ace were lying nearby, both unconscious.
The tiny creature floated over to them, seemingly trying to wake them up as well.
A few moments later—
"Argh..."
Valt groaned.
"My head... What... happened?"
Ace slowly opened his eyes too.
"Ugh... I think I'm gonna throw up..."
"You're alive," Theo muttered.
"Unfortunately," Valt replied, still holding his head.
They slowly looked around.
Unlike the enormous, moss-covered corridors they had encountered earlier, this room was surprisingly small.
And strangely...
Everything was white.
The walls.
The floor.
The ceiling.
There wasn't a single trace of moss, dirt, or decay.
It was almost as if this room belonged to an entirely different world.
"Where the hell are we now?" Ace wondered.
Before anyone could answer—
A voice spoke from behind them.
"Praise the Gods..."
The three immediately turned around.
A mysterious figure was sitting beneath a tree.
Its leaves were blue.
The figure sat peacefully, with its hands resting on its knees.
"...But..."
The voice continued.
"Children, it seems even the Gods have made a mistake."
A brief pause followed.
"Out of all places..."
"...Why here?"
The voice was extraordinarily gentle.
Calm.
Almost feather-like.
There was no hostility in it, nor any apparent intention to harm them.
Yet something about those words felt strangely sorrowful.
The tiny blue creature immediately floated towards the mysterious figure.
The figure raised one arm and opened its palm.
The creature landed gently on it.
And then...
It began humming.
A cheerful little tune.
The figure gently watched it.
For the first time, a hint of emotion appeared in their otherwise calm voice.
"...Why would they try to give me hope again?"
The three exchanged confused glances.
Hope?
What was that supposed to mean?
Their attention returned to the mysterious person.
They were wearing a beautiful white dress decorated with delicate blue stripes and roses.
Their hair shimmered with a soft blue radiance, almost as though it were reflecting moonlight.
Looking at them felt like gazing directly into a blue moon.
It was beautiful.
Unreal.
And strangely melancholic.
The woman slowly turned her head towards them.
Only then did they notice something peculiar.
Half of her face was covered by a mask.
The other half...
Was breathtakingly beautiful.
She observed the three newcomers for a moment.
Then, with the same gentle voice, she spoke.
"Welcome..."
A brief silence followed.
Her expression remained unchanged.
"To the Land of Human Experimentation."