Chapter 93
- Evan -
The door creaked open, revealing a vast chamber bathed in eerie, pulsating light. The walls shimmered with veins of green crystal, and the scent was a thick, pungent odor—metallic, sweet, and fresh, crisp air after a storm.
Josh stepped inside first, his eyes scanning the room. "This is it, we finally made it," he murmured, "The heart of the domain."
At the center of the chamber stood a massive apparatus—a grotesque fusion of arcane machinery and organic matter. Tubes pulsed with a viscous, glowing fluid, and at its core floated human and non-human demon-like figures suspended in the translucent capsule.
Kaysi gasped. "Is this where your father experiments on people?"
She drifted toward a shattered chamber that stood alone and inspected the broken side panel. Her breath caught—the information on the side panel.
KAYSI MOONSEX: FEMALEAGE: 15Waymaker Data Research Subject
Her eyes widened as she read. Catching her reflection in the fractured glass.
"This is where I was before?" she asked quietly, looking at me for answers.
"Yes, it is—the other pods were not here before, that is new. Last time I came here, Father tried to finish you off. I barely got you out. You were in a coma for almost a month afterward. That's when your memories vanished—until now."
Kaysi turned to Josh, rage simmering behind her eyes. If looks could kill, he'd be dead meat. "You're the reason I was in this place. Don't think for a second I trust you." Kaysi said in a sharp, harsh tone.
Tears welled in her eyes as she turned away and carried on down the path.
She glanced back at the panel. "It says I was fifteen. How old am I now?"
"We celebrated your seventeenth birthday during the winter storm."
She shook her head. "Two years!? So much time... lost. It sickens me."
Josh lowered his head in shame, tightening his features, finally speaking. "I know you can't trust me, but if you want to leave this place, this is the only way."
Kaysi walked beside me, silent, her grip tight on her blade. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, every shadow a potential threat. It wasn't just the environment that made her uneasy—it was Josh's presence with us.
"Josh," I called out, my voice echoing slightly in the confined space. "Where exactly are we headed from here?"
He paused, turning slightly. "To the birth of this domain, Father's Lab, where Father resides. You want to confront him, and he holds all the secrets to your answers, even as to why I am here."
Kaysi's eyes narrowed. "Why reveal yourself to your father, after all this time?"
Josh's gaze met hers, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes. "Because the time has come for truths to be unveiled, fathers' plans are aligned."
We moved forward, eventually entering a towering laboratory chamber resembling an arena. The ceiling loomed high above, covered in shifting, hypnotic patterns. At the top of what appeared to be an operating theater stood a tall, imposing figure whose presence commanded attention.
Josh dropped to one knee, bowing obediently and robotically. "Father," he murmured.
His interaction with our father was not like it used to be; this was different, it seemed more obscured than before. I never trusted my father, but I feel uneasy about what's going on here.
The figure turned, revealing a face both familiar and foreign. His eyes bore into us, a mix of curiosity and something I couldn't understand more deeply. He stood tall, with a slender, athletic build and silver hair, and his glasses shone in the glow of the caves.
"Evan, Kaysi," he greeted, his voice smooth. "Welcome, he said softly, "So, my prodigal son returns. And you brought guests."
I stepped forward. "Why, you bastard. Why did you do all of this?" I could barely breathe, my hands clenched at my sides from the pain of my recent injuries. "You put Kaysi in a test tube and experimented on her, taking away her memories. You threw Josh into this prison and dragged me here like bait. What the hell do you want?"
He chuckled softly. "Always direct as ever, I see. Very well. You're here because the balance has shifted. Events are in motion that cannot be undone."
Kaysi's voice cut through the tension. "What are you talking about?"
He gestured around the chamber. "This domain is a construct, a place where realities converge. Within it lie truths that can't exist anywhere else.
Josh spoke up, but his tone had softened. "Enough riddles. Tell them."
The man's eyes never wavered. "This is the first time you've seen me in person. Last time, I spoke through a speaker. I was… busy preparing."
Josh put a hand on my shoulder. "He did all of this for one reason. To bring Mom back. He believes your presence, Evan, could wake her. She died right after you were born—and he thinks you're the last thing she remembered."
I froze. My heart sank.
"You're insane," I said.
My father stepped forward, face still emotionless. "Your mother's death was not natural. She summoned a demon—made a pact to save you, her dying infant. The ritual consumed her. But her soul didn't move on. It was trapped in the Veil."
He gestured toward a sealed cryo-chamber, concealed until now beneath the floor. With a mechanical hiss, the cover slid open, revealing a pale woman suspended in ice-blue light. Her face was calm, peaceful—like she had only just fallen asleep.
My breath caught.
"I kept her in cryosleep all this time, just as I did with Kaysi the unnatural waymaker," he said coldly. "But her spirit won't return on its own. I needed Evan's DNA—his presence—to stir her final memory. That was the first step."