I stood motionless, staring at the word displayed before me.
Kartnod.
For generations, they had been associated with war, death, and destruction.
Elena was the first to break the silence.
"None of this makes sense. According to these records, the Supreme Beings created the Kartnod through biological experimentation."
Kenji continued reviewing the files.
"There are more reports."
The console screen began to flicker as it recovered additional records.
"The records don't end with the creation of the Kartnod."
Sophie activated the next document.
RECORD 0715
The first successful generation has reached a level of consciousness beyond expectations.
They have requested access to the archives of the first projects.
The Supreme Council has denied their request.
The lead researchers warn that withholding this information could provoke a negative reaction.
The Supreme Council considers that revealing their origin represents a risk to their emotional stability. For now, it is best that they remain unaware of where they came from.
Sophie frowned.
They didn't see them as people.
They were merely the results of an experiment.
Kenji slowly nodded.
He looked at the empty cylinders.
Irina studied the documents, her expression growing darker.
"Are there any more records?" Eleonor asked.
"Yes. There are still several more."
RECORD 0834
Several test subjects have gained unauthorized access to the restricted archives of the first failed projects, designated as the Claimoor.
They have discovered the procedures used in their creation.
They have found the records of the original subjects.
They now understand that their lives were designed by the Supreme Council.
The predicted response has been confirmed.
The leaders demanded answers.
They demand to be recognized as living beings rather than tools created for war.
For several minutes, no one spoke.
I slowly lowered my hand and touched the screen.
Eleonor closed her eyes for a few seconds.
For five thousand years, entire generations had inherited an incomplete history.
Before she could speak, another line appeared on the screen.
A hidden file had just been unlocked.
Kenji stared at it in surprise.
"There's one more record."
The color drained from his face.
"It's the last one."
RECORD 0921
Following the successful creation of the first batch, it was decided that five additional batches would be produced. Each will be equipped with different types of energy capabilities. Since the interdimensional breach could not be completely sealed, magical energy has continued leaking into this plane over the past thousand years, infecting the planet. There is no turning back.
By order of the Supreme Council, a population of two hundred thousand individuals from each batch will be created and distributed across the continent. They will serve as leaders, guiding the evolution of the rest of the original population.
The room fell completely silent.
Irina looked toward the empty cylinders.
Her voice trembled.
"The Five Guardian Families... and the Kartnod... we're descended from those six batches."
Kenji walked toward the main console.
"There's something else."
Everyone looked at him.
"These records weren't stored here by accident."
He manipulated the controls.
A holographic map appeared above the room.
Thousands of streams of energy connected different locations across the planet.
"What is that?" Sophie asked.
Kenji enlarged the image.
Dozens of locations appeared.
"They have to be laboratories like this one."
The group remained silent.
"They didn't build just one."
The map continued revealing more facilities.
"They built hundreds."
I stared at the map.
Every point represented a place where someone had attempted to create life.
Alter it.
Control it.
And then hide the consequences.
"We have to recover all of these records."
Irina suddenly lifted her head.
Her expression changed.
"Wait."
Everyone turned toward her.
"There's something deeper inside this place."
She closed her eyes.
Her magical energy spread throughout the chamber.
"All of these energy lines converge at a single point."
She opened her eyes.
"There's another room."
Kenji checked the blueprints stored in the archives.
"It doesn't appear on any of the records."
The group advanced toward the back of the laboratory.
There, they found a door unlike any of the others.
It wasn't made of ordinary metal.
It was forged from a completely black alloy.
Engraved across its surface were the emblems of all the Guardian Families, and at its center was a very distinctive symbol.
I froze in shock.
We all recognized it instantly.
It was the very same mark on my back.
The door began to glow without anyone touching it.
The emblems disappeared one by one.
I reached out my hand.
The surface reacted to my touch.
A deep resonance echoed throughout the entire facility.
The door slowly opened.
Inside was a small chamber.
And at its center...
A pedestal.
Resting upon it was an object bathed in a faint light.
A bracelet, like the relic of my family.
But unlike the Obroin Family's relic, this one bore all six Guardian Beasts.
Kenji slowly approached and murmured a few words that no one could make out.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
He stared at the object in astonishment.
"In the oldest records, it's mentioned only as a legend."
"It's the bracelet of the First Bearer."
The bracelet's glow intensified.
At that moment, I felt something inside me begin to move.
As though a part of my consciousness had been waiting for this very moment.
Eleonor placed her hand on my back.
"What's happening to you? You look pale... you're shaking."
The bracelet seemed to be calling to me.
The moment I reached out and my fingers touched the metal...
Everything disappeared.
The laboratory.
My companions.
Only darkness remained.
Then, suddenly, a voice spoke inside my mind.
"At last... you have arrived."