Axel couldn't shake the impossible weight of his words: promising to defeat an S-rank hunter like Thor within a week was bold, but it now hovered over him like an ominous shadow. As he finished taking the multitude of tests in the association's lab, the air was thick with the unsaid tension of his claim. His team was healed, patched up, and cleared for release, but Axel's mind remained elsewhere.
"All clear," a hunter who was an healer that assisted everyone else with their wounds said, removing the testing equipment from Axel's arm. "No injuries. You're free to go."
***
Axel was still nodding silently in thought, his mind still reeling as he and Noel piled into a cab. It was nighttime, and the streets were mercifully empty. No traffic jams, no delays. Just the quiet hum of the city passing by as they neared home.
It wasn't long before they arrived at the front door. Axel, now filled with a mix of exhaustion and relief, knocked energetically.
"Annie! Little sis! Open the door!" Axel yelled, knocking hard enough to shake the frame.
The door swung open with a fury that matched his pounding. Annie's face was flushed with anger, and her eyes practically radiated bloodlust.
"You friggin' bastard!" she snapped, her voice raw. "You left me alone for three days! I thought—" She stopped, her eyes brimming with tears. "You were trapped in that portal... I thought you were dead! Promise me—no more portal hunting for at least a week!"
Axel raised his hands in mock surrender, his smirk fading quickly. "Annie, if I don't hunt, we'll starve. When hunger slaps you, you'll be begging me to clear another portal."
Noel, already past the drama, stepped inside, ignoring the tension between the siblings. "Annie, any chance you made dinner?" Noel asked, her voice steady as she made her way to the dining room.
Axel followed in turn ignoring Annie.
Annie sighed heavily but followed them in after some consideration taken. "I didn't expect you back so soon, so I just made a small batch of pudding." She spoke heading into the kitchen to dish it out to everyone.
Axel's stomach growled in protest. His favorite. And there was barely enough to go around.
He was about to complain when a loud knock at the door cut through the air like a knife.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Axel's brow furrowed. At this hour?
"Who could that be?" He stretched as he made his way to the door, a lazy yawn escaping him.
He walked up to the door and reached for the handle, ready to throw out a sarcastic comment—when suddenly—
**BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!**
The house was rocked by a deafening explosion. The front door was obliterated in an instant, and a massive wave of fire and heat surged through the home, blowing out windows, crumbling walls, and tossing everyone in its path like rag dolls.
Axel felt himself slam into something hard. Pain seared through his side as debris rained down, and the searing heat was unbearable. For a moment, his world was nothing but fire and agony.
When the ringing in his ears subsided a bit, and the intense heat ebbed just enough for him to think, Axel opened his eyes to barely see chaos. Flames consumed the house, turning everything he held dear into an inferno. His ears were filled with the crackling of wood, the hiss of flames, and—
Blood. The smell of blood and burning flesh filled his senses, choking him. He tried to move, but his body protested. He glanced down at his abdomen and saw it—a jagged wooden shard had pierced his belly. Blood poured from the wound, pooling beneath him.
'I'm dying.' The realization hit him like a brick.
[HP: 2/70]
With shaking hands, Axel fumbled to access the store in his system, the explosion did more harm than shown. His vision blurred, but he managed to select a health potion after buying an unnecessary dagger. He tried to drink it, but his hands were shaking too much, spilling some of the liquid.
The Fatek boss chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated through Carlos's bones. His grin was a grotesque display of sharp teeth that seemed to stretch too far across his face. "Where did you think Cell came from?" The Fatek's voice was a venomous hiss, each word dripping with malevolence.
Carlos froze in place, his blood running cold. Cell—the monster they had barely survived—was connected to *this*? He didn't want to believe it, but the dread gnawing at his insides told him it was the truth. His legs buckled, but the Fatek boss had more to say.
"Imperfect Cell was nothing but a weak imitation," the Fatek boss explained, circling the cocoon. "A mere fragment—a prototype, if you will. We tested a measly ten percent of the true power we're about to unleash. The perfect weapon is almost complete." His voice held a dark glee, a twisted sense of triumph.
Carlos's eyes widened, his body trembling uncontrollably. "*Imperfect* Cell? What—what the hell is the *perfect* one, then?!" The realization hit him like a sledgehammer. All their fights, all their efforts—it had been nothing but a distraction, a diversion to keep them busy while something far worse festered in the dark.
The Fatek boss's voice turned mocking. "All those portals we opened? The attacks on your cities? They were all distractions to keep your so-called 'hunters' preoccupied. While they played at being heroes, we've been working right under their noses, harvesting what we needed from your world.
Hundreds of awakened humans have fallen into our hands, and no one even noticed." He spat the last words with disgust. "Pathetic. Primitive. Your race didn't even realize the true threat."
Carlos felt sick. His stomach twisted in knots as the Fatek continued.
"You see, the problem with our race," the Fatek boss mused, "is that we lack the binding that allows your kind to awaken. But we've found a solution. By feeding the cell project with the blood and abilities of your people, we've begun creating something far beyond anything you could imagine, evolution beyond apes."
The Fatek boss stopped in front of the cocoon, his hands gently caressing its surface. It pulsed beneath his touch like a heartbeat—alive and waiting. Carlos's mind screamed at him to run, but his body refused to obey. His legs felt like lead, frozen in place by the overwhelming terror coursing through him.
"We were hoping for an S-rank hunter to feed this project, but you, Carlos... an A-rank snack will suffice."
Carlos's heart skipped a beat, his vision blurring as panic took over. He barely noticed when the Fatek boss dropped him to the ground, propping him up against the pulsating cocoon like a discarded doll.
Suddenly, the air thickened with an overpowering, suffocating presence. Carlos could feel it—something monstrous was inside that cocoon, waiting to be born. His lips quivered uncontrollably, and all he could muster was a trembling whisper. "P-please... no..."
But before he could finish, thick, snake-like tentacles shot out from the cocoon and wrapped around his limbs. He screamed as they coiled tighter, dragging him closer. One tendril wrapped around his throat, squeezing the air from his lungs.
"No! NO!" Carlos choked, thrashing in vain as the tendrils pulled him into the cocoon. His skin tore against the rough surface, blood oozing from the deep gashes as the cocoon began absorbing him, slowly, agonizingly. It felt like being fed into a meat grinder—every inch of his body was being shredded apart, piece by piece.
Tears of pain and desperation streamed down his face as his mind scrambled for any final thoughts. 'I'm sorry... I can't make it home, Fam...'
In one final, brutal tug, Carlos was gone. The cocoon closed around him, sealing his fate. All that remained was a streak of blood smeared across the floor, leading to the throbbing mass of the cocoon.
The Fatek boss let out a satisfied growl, his sharp teeth gleaming under the lab's cold lights. "The birth of the Perfect Cell begins."
For a moment, the lab was still. Then, the surface of the cocoon began to crack. Thin fractures snaked across its exterior, and the pulsing light grew stronger, more erratic.
A twisted grin spread across the Fatek boss's face as he took a step back, watching the cracks widen. "Let the humans meet their carnage."
With a final, thunderous crack, the cocoon split open.
And something far worse than Cell emerged.
---
***Author's Note***
End of the first season! I think I deserve a magic castle after this wild journey! Feel free to throw me a dragon, a race car, a massage chair, or at least a golden ticket! Your support keeps this story alive, so don't leave me hanging!
Season two will be even crazier—expect more twists, more horror, and more thrills.
And remember... this is based on a true story
I'm begging for support... don't leave this season without showing a little light of encouragement to me... Thanks