Advanced Mage Research Facility 14, or AMR 14…
That was the name of the secure-looking structure that formed Dom's cage. A location that was not only highly classified despite being right under the feet of citizens, but also one where access was extremely limited.
Despite its aim to study mages and their unique magic, its structure, security systems, and management resembled a prison.
And now… Dom glared at the man responsible for putting him here.
Amused by Dom's glare, Ivan smirked.
Dom's eyes then shifted to the person standing silently behind Ivan. "If you're so hung up on researching Silvas," He said, pointing at Aera, the mage who knocked him out. "…why isn't she the one locked up?"
Ivan glanced at her and smiled. "That would have been extremely convenient…" He said, "… but unfortunately, she's not a Silva."
Dom furrowed his brows, studying Aera once more. Though her raw strength was undeniable and her partially white hair matched his, she lacked the other physical traits Ivan had described for a Silva.
Ivan gestured for her to stand beside him.
She stepped forward, removing her mask to reveal her beautiful face, complemented by soft lips, a small dark mole on the left side of her nose, and a jagged scar along her right neck. Dom also noticed that her expression remained blank, emotionless.
"Aera is the result of our most recent mage-alteration project," Ivan said, gesturing toward her. "She's a Twin-Mage, or T-Mage for short."
Dom frowned, the memory surfacing. "That lizard guy said something like that." He muttered.
Ivan sighed, his eyes rolling. "Andre has always had a big mouth." He said, then smiled as he explained, "A T-Mage is a mage with two different magic attributes." He held up two fingers. "The first is the innate attribute they were born with. The second is the attribute we artificially integrate into their mana matrix."
Disclaimer: Mana Matrix is the pathway in a mage's body through which mana flows, similar to blood in vessels.
Ivan placed his hands in his coat pockets. "In Andre's case, his first attribute is the innate Beast attribute. The second is the fire attribute we added." He commented.
Dom gave Aera a stern look. "And since she's not a Silva…" He muttered.
Ivan nodded. "The enhanced physical prowess and white hair typical of a Silva were results of the attribute we added to her matrix." He replied.
Dom then glared at Ivan. "If you can create and artificially add a Silva's power into people, why do you even need me?" He snapped.
Ivan clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "It's not that easy, Dominic." He said with a dismissive hand gesture. "There's an ancient scientific law that states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed."
He began to slowly pace alongside the bars while he explained,
"None of the artificial attributes were created in the lab. They were extracted and isolated from an original mage or magic beast. Even with our current technology, interacting with the mana matrix directly is difficult, so the most reliable method is by siphoning the mana directly from the source's blood."
Dom narrowed his eyes, glancing at her again. "Then whose blood did you siphon for hers?" He asked.
Ivan paused, looking over his shoulder to smirk at Dom. "The Emperor." He said.
Dom stiffened while Ivan's smile widened as he recalled the memory.
"It happened during the war," He said, "… after we confirmed his heritage. We sacrificed countless soldiers and lost nearly immeasurable resources… but we managed to obtain blood samples from the few injuries he sustained."
He continued his pacing.
"Once his mana was isolated, we stored it carefully and have been using it for research over the past few decades."
He stopped behind Aera and placed a hand on her head, smiling proudly. "Converting Aera into a T-Mage used up all stored mana about five years ago." He added.
Dom clicked his tongue, realizing what this meant for him. "So not only am I your lab rat, but I'm also supposed to be some kind of mana bank for your T-Mages?"
Ivan's smile faded slightly. "While you're not wrong… it won't be so easy." He said, stepping away from Aera. "Integrating a foreign attribute into a matrix is dangerous and often fatal."
Dom glanced at Aera, who quietly stared at him.
"Which is why we limit the artificial mana to reduce the risk of mana rejection," Ivan said, strolling alongside the bars with his arms behind his back. "The name Twin-Mage is actually a misnomer since the artificial attribute is always weaker than the innate one--never equal."
He then stopped, eyes fixed on the plain, white wall.
"In Andre's case," He continued, "… we added just enough for him to breathe flames. He cannot conjure fire anywhere else in his body, nor does he gain the enhanced heat resistance of a true fire mage."
"So they only get a piece of the real thing," Dom murmured.
"Correct," Ivan said, turning back to him as he stepped closer. "We could have given him more, granting greater power--but the risk was extreme. He could have simply combusted or even died from the fatal biological reaction that occurs during a mana rejection. And when using a Silva's extract, the procedure becomes even more lethal."
Ivan stopped beside Aera, his gaze fixed intently on her.
"Aera is the first of the seventeen subjects to survive the procedure using Ethan's mana. A key factor in her survival is her innate regeneration magic attribute."
He lifted her chin slightly, exposing the jagged scar that ran down to her right clavicle.
Though her expression remained completely neutral, Dom couldn't suppress a grunt of anger, teeth clenched at the revolting pride in Ivan's smile as he admired her features, like some sort of work of art.
"With her regeneration, her cells repaired the extensive damage from the Silva attributes and allowed her body to adapt to it. Not only did she survive, but she also became the closest to an ideal twin mage, evident in her mixed aura and eyes."
He turned her face and stared at her two colored eyes.
"She's my most prized project."
A loud ping drew Ivan's attention to Dom's fists trembling on the bars. "Stop treating us like fucking science experiments," He growled.
Unmoved by Dom's threat, Ivan smiled. "We'll see how long you maintain that attitude." He turned and walked away.
"Hey!" Dom shouted, slamming the bars again.
Ivan stopped but kept his eyes on the door. "Not only did the country you chose to protect sell you out like an animal, but the laws here also prevent your friends from helping. And even if they tried, they wouldn't know where to look."
Dom's eyes narrowed at Ivan's smirk once he turned, darker now--less scientist, more predator.
"You can shout and struggle all you want, Dominic… but the sooner you accept your new reality, the easier it'll be for both of us."
Dom slammed the bars again, gritting his teeth while his eyes reddened with frustration. "Fuck… you." He grumbled.
Ivan smirked, amused, then stepped forward as the door slid open.
Dom glared at his back, then turned to the other person following Ivan. "Hey! You!" He shouted at Aera, who stopped at the doorway to look at him.
"Are you really okay with this?" He asked, pointing at Ivan. "…with being that bastard's lap-dog for the rest of your life?"
A moment of silence passed.
Then, she turned fully toward him. "This life… it's the only one I've ever known," She said, her voice monotone.
Without waiting, she walked away. Dom frowned at her expressionless face—someone who had completely given in to despair.
If I stay here, will I become like that?
He thought as the door slid shut, isolating him in that cage in silence.
For a moment, he just stood, processing it all. Then he gritted his teeth and swung his fist at the bars.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
Repeatedly, he punched, ignoring the pain from his bruised knuckles with each strike.
"FUCK!"
He rammed his head into the bars, their firm, unscathed surface shivering with a soft hum.
After a while, he stepped back and dropped onto the bed, his hopeless gaze now fixed on the ground.
"Now what?" He whispered into the silence, as if hoping for an answer…
The next morning…
Dom woke up on the bed, hoping it was all a bad dream. But the sound of a barred gate confirmed his reality.
He sat up just as two large, muscular guards in red military uniforms grabbed him. Despite his struggles, his suppressed powers rendered him helpless under their firm grip as they dragged him into the lab where scientists awaited his arrival.
There, under restraints, he was subjected to several tests, data analysis, and blood sample collection.
Two hours later…
He was tossed back to his cell, tired and weary from the experimentation and blood loss. As he stumbled towards his bed, he finally noticed a broad array of food on the table, along with a small note:
Signed… Dr Malfoy. I.>
Dom gritted his teeth, crushing the note and hurling the tray of food across the room, spilling its tempting sauce across the white tiled floor while he let out another frustrated scream.
Thirty minutes later…
Two guards arrived, clicking their tongues at the mess on the floor while Dom remained motionless on the bed, his back turned towards them.
Believing him to be sleeping, they opened the barred door and stepped inside the room. Dom's eyes slowly opened, his gaze lit, devoid of any form of fatigue as he quietly turned towards them.
One guard crouched to pick up the discarded dishes, cursing audibly as he picked up the blob of wet noodles, while the other stood by the door, distracted as he mindlessly swiped at a device in his hand.
Seeing a chance, Dom launched from the bed with surprising speed. He landed feet-first on the first guard, his weight shoving the unsuspecting soldier into the wet floor before leaping at the second.
The second guard, now flustered, quickly drew a device from his holster and pressed a button.
Instantly, Dom groaned as his collar released a surge of electricity, but he managed to push past the pain as he shoulder-slammed the guard into the bars.
The remote flew from the guard's hand as he stumbled, stopping the shock just long enough for Dom to bolt through the opened cage and head for the exit--only to groan as his collar shocked him again, forcing him to stagger to a stop just before a sudden pricking pain shot in his lower back, where a dart had embedded itself in his skin.
"Shit." He grunted through grinding teeth as he noticed the dart embedded in his back, just before turning to the first guard--who held his tranquilizer gun in one hand and his remote in the other, his eyes wide with rage as the cold sauce slid down his face.
"Fuck… bas…tard…" Dom muttered just as his body and mind suddenly gave out under the drug and shocking collar's combined effects, sending him dropping to the floor with a loud thud…